A yokai depicted in Edo-period picture scrolls such as Gazu Hyakki Yagyō and Hyakkai Zukan as a one-headed, sagging mass of flesh. Its face and body blur together, sometimes shown without eyes, nose, or ears. Owing to the name and descriptions, it is often mentioned as an archaic form or kin of the faceless noppera-bō, but its nature and origins remain unclear. The scrolls provide a name and image with little to no commentary.
Folklore & Legends
The 1781 sharebon Shingozade Hodai Mōgyū mentions it as a monster lacking eyes, nose, and ears. Early illustrated manuscripts suggest it may be an old toad or a fox or raccoon dog in disguise. The essay collection Isshōbanashi records an anecdote of a child-sized lump of flesh appearing in Sunpu Castle, later linked to the Hakutaku chart’s seal character “Fū.” Claims that it haunts abandoned temples or leaves a stench of carrion are later embellishments; primary sources are unclear.
A typical form based on Edo-period yokai picture scrolls. A one-head-tall, white, wrinkled mass stands upright with stumpy limbs and indistinct facial features. Only its name and image are preserved, so its behavior and intent are unsettled. In texts it is sometimes read as a prototypical faceless ghost (nopperabo), or noted as a transformation of an old toad or of foxes and raccoon dogs. Satirical books mention it “drinking the fat of the dead” or “disguising itself as a doctor,” but a broad regional tradition is hard to confirm. Claims of temple hauntings or a corpse-like stench likely stem from later interpretations, and firsthand accounts are limited. Its look is marked by powdery white skin and continuous folds of wrinkles.
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 Traditional Image (E-maki Source Fidelity). The higher the value of each item, the stronger that characteristic is expressed.
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