Dodomeki
Dodomeki
Dodomeki (Hundred Eyed demon – 百々目鬼) is a type of Yōkai depicted in the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by Toriyama Sekien.
The origins for this creature are said to be found in a text known as the Kankan-gaishi which states a women born with long arms always stole people money. A hundred birds eyes sprouted on her arms, these being the spirit of the money. She was thus named Dodomeki.
However, this particular text has never been proven to exist, supported by the fact that the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki is the first ever appearance of it. It was maybe inspired by Fujiwara Hidesato exploits, one which involved fighting againt a creature known as the Dōmeki (百目鬼), a demon with a hundred eyes on each arm.1
External Links
- View the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki online here: Konjaku Online.
Footnotes
1. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
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