Once upon a time, in the old Japanese province of Iga, there was a village that had attracted the attentions of a great and terrible oni. The oni was typical of its kind: red skin, horns, a tiger skin loincloth and a great, iron club. He would prowl the roads around the village, accosting passers-by and demanding money - or else! So, the good people of Iga province avoided the village, leaving it well alone. The inhabitants of the village were distressed by this, and tried to get rid of the oni. However, its skin was like iron, and it could not be hurt by any weapon.

Ichiro the hunter was a brave man, and he often boasted that no creature could escape his arrows. "An oni will be no trouble," he said. "Not even this one." And he set off into the forest around the village to find the oni. However, by the time it had grown dark, Ichiro had not found the oni. He was about to return to the village when he heard a strange drumming echoing through the forest. "What is that noise?" Ichiro asked himself, and he went to see what the cause was.

In a clearing, on top of a tree stump, Ichiro found a tanuki. The tanuki was beating its belly, and that was the cause of the drumming. As soon as the tanuki saw Ichiro, it stopped.

"Ah," the tanuki said. "Ichiro the hunter. What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for the oni that lives in this forest. It has been terrorising our village," Ichiro replied.

"And the animals as well," said the tanuki. "How are you going to get rid of the oni?"

"With my bow. Nothing escapes it," Ichiro replied, and showed the tanuki his weapon.

The tanuki shook its head. "That won't work. But," and it produced a golden arrow with the sign of the Buddha on it, "this is a hamaya - en evil-destroying arrow. If this hits the oni, it will banish the demon back to the hell it came from. Just like - that!" And the tanuki clapped its paws.

Ichiro took the hamaya and bowed to the tanuki, but when he stood up the creature had vanished. So, Ichiro started back to the village. Unfortunately the oni could see better in the dark than he could, and the demon ambushed him.

"Hey - hunter!" the oni bellowed. "Give me money or I shall beat you!"

"I have no money," Ichiro replied.

"Then I shall beat you!" screamed the oni, and he charged towards Ichiro, waving his club around to dash out the hunter's brains.

Ichiro fitted the hamaya to his bow and let fly. As soon as the magic arrow touched the oni, there was clap of thunder and the oni vanished, back to the hell it had come from.

The oni never returned to bother the village, and Ichiro always remembered to leave a gift of food for the tanuki.