A strongly imaginative yokai depicted in Toriyama Sekien’s Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki and Edo-period kibyōshi. As the name suggests, it appears as a courtesan whose entire body is shrouded in long hair; her face is hidden by hair, or in some readings, absent altogether. Considered a satirical presence in the pleasure quarters, the wordplay links the painted “makeup” of a courtesan with “apparition.” It lacks stable local folklore and is known mainly from printed sources.
Folklore & Legends
Sekien’s notes mention a man who follows the familiar backside of a woman, only for her to turn and reveal a figure covered head to toe in hair. In kibyōshi she appears as “Kejorō,” entering into comic encounters with other yokai and scenes that lampoon the customs of courtesans. Region-specific oral legends are scarce; her form is largely fixed by woodblock-printed imagery.
Yokai Cards1
Kejōrō (Hair Courtesan) across multiple art-style decks
A canonical image based on Toriyama Sekien’s illustrations and Edo kibyoshi. Dressed like a courtesan of the pleasure quarters, its hair grows unnaturally long to shroud the body so the face cannot be discerned. Born from urban satire centered on Yoshiwara and a pun linking courtesans with shapeshifters, it appears as a literary construct with no proper name or origin tale. Sometimes read as a faceless yōkai, it serves as a symbol that reverses the viewer’s desires and assumptions. Sources are primarily printed editions, with scant oral tradition.
Character Profile
This section is our own creative profile for storytelling. It is not historical fact or scholarship.
The diagram below is a diagnostic evaluation chart for Printed Edition – Sekien School Variant. The higher the value of each item, the stronger that characteristic is expressed.
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