During the age when the diesel engines of today did not exist, people had to utilize the currents to the fullest extent to propel their ships. Many of those who arrived here from the Korean peninsula must have reached Japan at Wakasa bay. The Japan Sea in the winter gets rough. But once to Wakasa bay, the waves quiet down. For a sailor, there is no more idea bay then here.

I once traveled around the shrines on the shores of Tango and throughout the Noto peninsula. The names of the shrines and the gods worshipped there all sounded unfamiliar. Susie, Coma, Are and etc. They sound rather Korean. Furthermore, although the names were unrecognizable, it can all be identified and Umisachihiko, Yamasachihiko. In short, they are all Sea gods. As long as they worship the Sea gods, those under the protection of its deity were people working on the sea. And that meant they were sailors. Their ancestors can be traced back to those who arrived here from Korean peninsula and other parts of the continent.

Then, where, in particular, were they from? Some of Kogyuryo origin can be found on Noto peninsula, but most of them found here are of Silla-Kaya origin. This is mostly due to topographical reasons such that the peninsula is situated southeast of Korean peninsula. There is a shrine named Shiragi near the nuclear plant area of Wakasa. Of course, Shiragi is Silla. We can easily assume that many had arrived here from Silla.

Important among them in relations with "Shuten-douji" is the Kehi Shrine. Situated on route to Wakasa from Kyoto, the God worshipped here is named "Tsunugaarashito". According to Nihon Shoki, he was the prince of Oogara who arrived here during the reign of the eleventh emperor Suinin. Oogara is Kaya and its prince was "Tsunuga-arashito". By the way, "Tsunuga" was corrupted into "Tsunuga" as the city in Wakasa is now called.

Now, lets pay attention to this prince's name. "Tsunuga-arashito" sounds like Japanese that means "one with horns". It is said that the prince had two horns on his forehead. I imagine, he must have an appearance of none other than Ogre.

Then, could "Tsunuga-arashito" be the model figure of "Shuten-douji" in Tanba? If he were the Ogre model in Japan, this would take an interesting turn because "Tsunuga-arashito" is also known as "Ameno-hiboko".

Putting together the descriptions from both the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, and considering his background and his acts, it seems that they are both the same person. Although "Ameno-hiboko" is known to have arrived from Silla, taking into consideration the fact that Silla conquered Kaya, it would be safe to assume that the two are the same. This has already become an accepted opinion in the academic world.

But questions arise hereon. "Ameno-hiboko" had also been attracting attentions of researchers of ancient history and many theories had been proposed. Among such theories is the one that says "Ameno-hiboko" is not just one person but a name representing a group of people who arrived from abroad. And the well-known ancient history researcher, Sadakichi Kida had analyzed this theory in details. According to his analysis, legends of "Ameno-hiboko" are scattered nationwide and if researched one by one, they all match with the hub of Hata clan. Based on this finding, professor Kida declared that "Ameno-hiboko" was the general term used for the Hata clan.

As mentioned before, the Hata clan was Jewish Christian. If they were called "Ameno-hiboko" and also was the model figure for "Shuten-douji", how did Jewish Christian and Ogre relate to each other?

Ogre, in a western sense, can be translated as devil or Demon, or the Prince of Darkness, the Satan. But how could these be related with the name of a Jewish Christian? To be honest, I had hard time finding the key to related these two until one day I realized. In the holy book of Jewish Christians, "The New Testament", is the following passage:

"As they continued eating, Jesus took a loaf and, after saying a blessing, he broke it and , giving it to the disciples, he said: "Take, eat. This means my body". Also, he took a cup and, having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: "Drink out of it, all of you; for this means my blood of the covenant which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins" (MATTHEW 26:26-28)

This is the scene of the evening meal with the 12 disciples on the night before Jesus Christ was to be crucified on the Cross. The day was also the Passover for the Jewish people and they too were enjoying their meal, known as the Last Supper.

As seen here, Jesus Christ talks of bread representing his body, and the cup full of wine, his blood. In a theological sense, this has a deep meaning. In the Jewish tradition, the lamb is killed and its meat and blood are eaten at Passover. The lamb is sacrificed on behalf of human sins. Jesus Christ had followed the Jewish tradition and he himself became the lamb of Atonement and was crucified on the cross.

Ever since, at a Christian church, the followers take the words of Jesus Christ and take in bread and wine and remind themselves that he was crucified. For Christians, this may be too obvious.

If one witnesses the Christian Mass without knowing what it signifies, nothing seems more obscure. Bread; the body? Wine; the blood? One might think they are cannibals. Malicious people may distort the meaning of this symbolism and spread the rumor that Christians eat human fresh. In fact, Christians actually experienced being decapitated as cannibals.

If the origin of "shuten-douji" legend has something to do with the Hata clan and Christian Jews, then such legend may have come from the falsification of the meaning of Christian Mass. This is how it originated: Hata clans living in Tango were Jewish Christians who followed the traditions and performed Mass. Mass was performed as a rite where non-Christians were excluded. This, in a sense, had a feature of a secret society.

It will make outsiders' blood run cold once they witness it, since they had no idea what they were doing. And those terrified by the view would not be few. For pagans around them, they resemble something like the Aum cult of Japan today. Even if the Hatas explained that bread symbolizes Jesus Christ's body and wine his blood, it was hardly possible for outsiders to understand it. It would only cause misunderstanding and rumors to spread that Hatas eat human fresh and drink human blood. People must have said, "They are nothing but Ogres!"

When people are in groups and terror stricken, they often resort to violence. May be Shuten-douji, meaning Ameno-hiboko, meaning Hata clan suffered misery of massacre under the name of Ogre extermination, just like the witch-hunts that occurred in Western society.

If this is be true, then the story behind Shuten-douji may have deeper roots then one could imagine.

Translated by Rie Ishida