Zenki and Goki

In secondary folkloric summaries, Zenki (前鬼) and Goki (後鬼) appear as a paired set of oni-like figures in narratives linked to early Japan. Some legends say that during the era associated with Emperor Tenmu they were violent bandit Onis whom the emperor neutralized by guile; these tellings relate that they reformed and became attendants of En no Ozuno (the semi-legendary founder of Shugendō). This account is preserved in fandom and popular summaries rather than in a single cited classical primary text, and the storyline functions as an example of dangerous local powers being incorporated into a religious founder's retinue in the Shugendō milieu.

Classical, detailed iconography is not provided in the available sources. Secondary summaries variously describe them as oni-like or tengu-like in some legends, but no consistent traditional physical description is documented in the cited materials; modern manga and anime portrayals supply visual depictions that are separate from the traditional summaries.

Traditional summaries emphasize their prior behavior as violent bandits or oni; some secondary sources and modern adaptations attribute magical abilities to them, while other accounts stress that after reformation they functioned as devout attendants or ascetic practitioners within the circle of En no Ozuno. The provided materials do not give a consistent catalogue of supernatural powers from primary classical texts.