天の邪鬼

Japanese

For pronunciation and definitions of 天の邪鬼 – see the following entry.
天邪鬼あまのじゃく
[noun] a kind of oni that appears in various folktales as the bad guy, who deliberately goes against what people say
[noun] someone with a personality or behavior reminiscent of the folktale character: a crank, a perverse person
[noun] (Buddhism) in Buddhist statuary, the small devil or demon being trampled under the feet of a 仁王 (Niō, Deva king) or one of the 四天王 (Shitennō, four Deva warriors)
[noun] (Buddhism) in Buddhist statuary, the devil or demon face on the breastplate of 毘沙門天 (Bishamonten, Vaiśravaṇa)
天邪鬼あまのじゃこ
[noun] synonym of 天邪鬼 (amanojaku, a devil; a contrary oni)
(This term, 天の邪鬼, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)