hone onna

Assistant of Enma Ai, she appears as a beautiful woman in a kimono with its obi tied at the front, which is characteristic of a prostitute. She transforms into the red straw doll by draping her red obi strap over her neck when required. Alongside Ichimoku Ren, Hone Onna investigates individuals who make contracts and those they hold grudges against. Typically, she infiltrates human society in casual attire to conduct investigations under the alias "Sone Anna." On specific occasions, she employs throwing knives as weapons; Hone Onna is notably proficient with these weapons. Her knives appear to have some mystical charge, enabling them to swiftly defeat supernatural adversaries. Hone Onna also demonstrates skill as a contortionist, allowing her to fit into very tight spaces. Exiting these spaces, however, is an area where she lacks proficiency. Hone Onna exhibits mild vanity; she can be quite offended when addressed as obaasan ("old lady" or "auntie"; a Japanese form of address for any woman middle-aged and above). She can reveal the bones in her body to terrify the target of the grudge; the name Hone Onna literally means bone woman. In episode 8 of Futakomori, she humorously discloses that she is "200 years old." A flashback episode (episode 21 of season 2) revealed that she was originally named Tsuyu and was sold as an Oiran (the original prostitute version of a Geisha) by her young master to cover his loan. Later, she was betrayed by a fellow Oiran named Kiyo, with whom she had been friends, while trying to escape. She was drowned to death under the watchful eyes of Kiyo, a guard who was Kiyo's love interest, and the Okami-san (the head of the brothel).