Sumi oni 唐招提寺 隅鬼

Official explanation

“Sumi oni”: Not-so-frightening Ogres

On the underside corners of the roofs at Toshodaiji are wooden blocks that lend stability to beams and pillars. They are also highly decorative, featuring ornate carvings of mythical demons known as jaki which are often shown being trampled on by the Four Heavenly Kings, who are the guardians of the world and of Buddhist teachings. Interestingly, while these jaki blocks were intended to be frightening, in more recent years many visitors have in fact found them to be endearing, leading them to be nicknamed sumi oni, or “corner demons.”

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.