Yuki-onna Monogatari (éª女ç©èªÂ) is a Japanese otogi-zà Âshi in two books (one volume), likely composed in the Azuchi-Momoyama period or the beginning of the Edo period.
Yuki-onna Monogatari is a work of the otogi-zà Âshi genre in two books (one volume). It was probably composed in the Azuchi-Momoyama period or the beginning of the Edo period.
It is one of a number of works depicting the defeat of a monster and the legendary origin of a famous sword, other such works including the Heike Tsurugi no Maki. This particular work portrays a marriage to a ghostly figure (æª婠kai-kon), which is not an uncommon theme in such stories.
The work shows the influence of the yà Âkyoku (Noh libretti) Kokaji. In his article for the Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten, Motoichi Kinoshita also notes the apparent influences of setsuwa such as Izumi Shikibu Inari-mà Âde (Ã¥ÂÂæ³Âå¼Âé¨稲è·詣), Rashà Âmon Modori-bashi (ç¾ çÂÂéÂÂæ»æ©Â), Tsuchi-gumo Taiji (Ã¥ÂÂèÂÂèÂÂéÂÂæ²») and Tamamono Mae (çÂÂèÂȌÂÂ), as well as the Noh play Momiji-gari, on the work.
The word yuki-onna appears in the kà Âwakamai Fushimi Tokiwa (ä¼Âè¦Â常ç¤), and the motif of people being taken by old raccoons is also seen in a story in the Kokon Chomonjà «.
In the first year of Chà Âtoku (995), Emperor Ichijà  is told in a dream to commission the forging of a sword by Sanjà  no Kokaji Munechika (ä¸Âæ¡å°ÂéÂÂå¶å®Âè¿Â). Munechika, with the assistance of the god Inari, forges the valuable blade '.
That winter, a malevolent female raccoon dog manifests as a yuki-onna and starts spiriting people away. Several warriors, including the retainers of Tada Mitsunaka, are commissioned to eliminate the beast, and manage to injure it but fail to capture it.
The following spring, Taira no Kanenobu encounters a beautiful woman on and takes her home with him. Kanenobu's former lover realizes the woman's true nature and attempts to warn him, but is strangled to death. A fortune-teller tells Kanenobu that this was the work of the yuki-onna, and Kanenobu uses the sword Kogitsune-maru, with which he is entrusted by the emperor, to slay the creature.
In the holdings of the Katei Archives (éÂÂäºÂæÂÂ庫) in the University of Tokyo, there is a Shà Âkaiban (æ¾ä¼ÂçÂÂ) printed edition dating to Kanbun 5 (1665). The 1909 Kinko Shà Âsetsu Kaidai (è¿Âå¤å°Â説解é¡Â) also reproduces a Manji 3 (1660) edition printed by Ishizu Hachirà  Uemon (ç³津堫éÂÂå³è¡ÂéÂÂ).