Smallpox demon

Smallpox demon

Smallpox demon or smallpox devil is a demon which was believed to be responsible for causing smallpox in medieval Japan. In those days, people tried to appease the smallpox demon by assuaging his anger, or they tried to attack the demon since they had no other effective treatment for smallpox. Methods used to try to assuage or please the smallpox demon were using a sanshin, a musical instrument, "lion dances, flowers, incense, and poetry. Some of these traditional smallpox dances are still overserved today.

Pantheon: Japanese Culture: Japanese (Shinto) Civilization: Japan Period: 300 CE – present

Source: Wikipedia