Oni no Hashi, the Ogre’s Bridge, takes the fairytale trope of the “troll under the bridge” and reimagines it in a setting of Japanese folklore. Here the bridge takes on a more metaphysical meaning. Hidden among the architecture of a rural city, this secluded courtyard serves as a crossing into the world of fables. A small niche of another dimension, normally rendered unperceivable to the humans living in the city. Only beings of divine lineage and those granted privileged passage may traverse it.

This spirit-bridge’s custodian is a lonesome cyclopean ogre, whose hair has become overgrown with vines and weeds. Collecting tolls from those wishing to journey on, he spends his time tending the secret garden and fishing for the cucumber-loving Kappa that roam the city’s waters.
For all welcome visitors, the smiling masks in the archway radiate an inviting warmth. The waterway is the only entrance to this hidden sanctuary, and so it is only here that the fire’s flicking tendrils can temporarily disperse the veil and make transit possible. Those intending to seek extended refuge in the ogre’s garden have their name notes on wooden plaques, to grant them free passage for the duration of their stay.