Onigumo's cave

This article is about the location of the cave of Naraku. You may be looking for Naraku's cave in the desert.

Onigumo's cave
Onigumo no hora
Nihongo	鬼蜘蛛の洞
Location information
Location	Near Kaede's village, Japan
Permanent residents	Onigumo †

Onigumo's cave (鬼蜘蛛の洞, "Onigumo no hora") was a secret cave where the bandit Onigumo was nursed by Kikyō before he fused with a Three-Eyed Spider and other minor demons to become Naraku. It was surrounded by a field of tall grass and had a tree growing on top of it. It sloped downward inside by its entrance.

History

Onigumo had taken residence in the cave after being terribly injured. He was secretly being cared for by Kikyō with only her sister Kaede knowing about it. Kaede would sometimes tend to Onigumo at the cave when Kikyō was unable to. He soon bargained with many demons for the ability to move again in exchange for them feasting on his flesh. This led to the creation of the hanyō Naraku. The cave was set on fire a few days after Kikyō's death. Naraku's demonic aura still lingered in the cave fifty years after he was created. It was strong enough that not even grass grew where it permeated from since Miroku had sensed it.

When Onigumo was reborn as Musō, he had forgotten who he was. He ventured towards the cave where he began to remember his past and his desire for Kikyō.

Manga vs. anime

• In the manga, when Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kaede first visit the cave together, they encounter an illusion of Kikyō that was created by Naraku. She is covered in blood and tells Inuyasha that it is his fault that she died. The illusion is broken by Miroku when he presses his staff on top of a lizard. He explains that the illusion was created by incense and placed inside the lizard's stomach.
• In episode 148, a small spider yōkai is seen in the cave who told Onigumo that it's spying on Inuyasha that he's in love with Kikyō and later approaches him before he merges with many yōkai to become Naraku.

Trivia

• The cave de facto became a Kodoku, with the demons devouring Onigumo and each other to birth Naraku as a conglomeration of them all. Naraku later attempts to create a powerful new body for himself through a more literal Kodoku by sealing demons within a mountain and forcing them to fight it out.