Oni is constellation called Yoki, which refers to a corpse carried on a palanquin held in both hands.

The five-star demon is said to be the eye of heaven that observes evil schemes, the northeast star governs those who store horses, the southeast star governs those who store soldiers, the southwest star governs those who store cloth, and the northwest star governs those who store money and jewels. The central star is a pile of corpses, and is said to govern funerals and festivals for the gods.


In China, they believe in the immortality of the soul that resides in humans, and that after death a person's spirit splits into two, with the "soul" which is yang energy rising to the heavens and the "pen" which is yin energy remaining on earth, housed in the body after death.

When a person dies, in order to summon the soul that has ascended to heaven, they take the coat of the deceased, climb onto the roof, call the name of the deceased three times toward the northern sky, and throw the coat down. Those below will receive the coat and throw it over the corpse toward the room. If the deceased does not rise in this way, they give up, as their soul has not returned to its original place.

Then, preparations for the funeral began, and those who died and ascended to heaven were considered gods, while those who were buried underground and went to the underworld, or those who were unable to go to the underworld and wandered the earth, came to be called demons.