The meaning of 二条大宮の百鬼夜行

Question

早い話が堀川のお邸の御規模を拝見致しましても、壮大と申しませうか、豪放と申しませうか、到底私どもの凡慮には及ばない、思ひ切つた所があるやうでございます。中にはまた、そこを色々とあげつらつて大殿様の御性行を始皇帝や煬帝に比べるものもございますが、それは諺に云ふ群盲の象を撫でるやうなものでもございませうか。あの方の御思召は、決してそのやうに御自分ばかり、栄耀栄華をなさらうと申すのではございません。それよりはもつと下々の事まで御考へになる、云はば天下と共に楽しむとでも申しさうな、大腹中の御器量がございました。 　それでございますから、二条大宮の百鬼夜行に御遇ひになつても、格別御障りがなかつたのでございませう。

http://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/000879/files/60_15129.html

I could find was entries on 二条大宮 or 百鬼夜行 but no hint as to how these two may be related. What was the author's intention in mentioning how a meeting of his (fictional?) お殿様 and 二条大宮の百鬼夜行 might resolve?

お殿様 vs. 融 is rather clear, by contrast:

又陸奥の塩竈の景色を写したので名高いあの東三条の河原院に、夜な／＼現はれると云ふ噂のあつた融の左大臣の霊でさへ、大殿様のお叱りを受けては、姿を消したのに相違ございますまい。

Answer 1

From what I could google, this may be a reference to a episode called あははの辻, included in 大鏡【おおかがみ】 written in the 11th century (full text here).

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/kyoto-ee/e/8f78ef49a315a26872575bb651f66113

あははの辻で百鬼夜行に

その師輔が、百鬼夜行に遭遇した話は、「栄花物語」より少し後にできた歴史物語「大鏡」に記述があります。
それは、師輔が二条大路のあははの辻（今の二条大宮・神泉苑のあたり）で突如牛車を止めさせて丁重に平伏して、尊勝阿羅尼を唱えるという奇妙な行動をする。
周りの者は何のことか解からず不思議がる。
後に、師輔があの時は「百鬼夜行にあった」と告白する。

But this can be a coincidence, since 百鬼夜行 seems to have been a relatively common subject of Japanese folktales then. 二条大宮の百鬼夜行 may be a fake historical tale made up by Akutagawa.

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EDIT: 二条大宮 seems to be famous as the place where 百鬼夜行 happens often.

• In 大鏡, 藤原師輔 encountered 百鬼夜行 on the street of 二条大宮 (see above).
• In 今昔物語集, 安倍晴明, a famous Onmyōji, also saw 鬼 at night （『安部晴明随忠行習道語』）. This happened also at 二条大宮 according to this source.
• In 今昔物語集, 藤原常行 saw a group of 鬼 at 美福門, which seems to be only a few hundred meters from 二条大宮 （『尊勝陀羅尼の験力に依りて鬼の難を遁るる語』）. A similar episode is also found in 古本説話集 （『西三条殿若君遇百鬼夜行事』）.

So the author, Akutagawa, says 堀川の大殿様 also encountered 百鬼夜行 at 二条大宮 (which is told as if it were a famous episode everyone knows in this novel). But 大殿様 had no trouble thanks to his wild and broad-minded character.

Answer 2

Let's forget about academic discourses and come to the point, as we are not studying in the classic course of Japanese Language School of Tokyo University.

"百鬼夜行" literally means hundres of ogres stroll on the ground in the mid night, implying evil things hount in the place and the world.

So "(大殿様が）二条大宮の百鬼夜行に御遇ひになつても、格別御障りがなかつたのでございませう"　means "Even our master encountered hundreds of demons on the avenue of the Nijo Shrine in the night, they (demons) couldn't give any harm to our master."

We use the word, "百鬼夜行" quite casually. For an example,

"わが社は百鬼夜行の状態だ - Our company is in the status of "Hyakki-Yako," meaning, bad guys, evil management and crook employees prevail in our company.

ＩＳＩＳ支配下の地域の治安状況はまるで百鬼夜行だ - The security conditions of the areas under the control of ISIS is very bad, as if being ravaged by hundreds (and hundreds) of demons.