Tenome

Tenome

The Tenome (手の目) is a Yōkai depicted in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien.

This Yōkai takes the form of a creatures whose ears are folded inwards, with his eyes in the palms of his hands.

According to the authors of the ‘Japandemonium’ the folded ears relate to the proverb

trust what you see rather than what you hear.
(jibun wa mokuken ni shikazu).

with the eyes relating to:

to lift the eyes of ones hands.
(te no me wo ageru).¹

External Links

• View the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō online here: Gazu Hyakki Yagyō 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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