Bashō-no-sei, named plate by Toriyama Sekien
Printed label 芭蕉精 and the pictured composition directly inspected at enlarged resolution. A long-haired human-like head emerges among broad banana leaves in Sekien’s Bashō-no-sei print. The exact image URL comes from the returned IIIF manifest, not a guessed page ID.
Overview
Bashō-no-sei is illustrated as a human-like face emerging among large, broad leaves. Long flowing hair spreads across the foliage, and a curved leaf crosses the lower face like an extended nose or beak. Tattered leaf margins, layered stems and a hanging flower occupy much of the page, keeping the plant visually central to the apparition.
The printed heading 芭蕉精 names the plant spirit. The composition joins a recognizable botanical setting to a face rather than drawing a small creature seated beside a plant. It therefore offers a useful witness to vegetation personified within an illustrated supernatural collection. A named picture does not establish a uniform regional belief or a documented historical encounter; this profile confines its description to the inspected image and leaves a complete reading of the short commentary for later enrichment.
Origins & earliest records
Toriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi (first published 1781), volume 3; the named plate was directly inspected in the digitized institutional copy. This dates a selected representation, not an earliest oral belief.
Records & interpretation
Printed label 芭蕉精 and creature composition directly checked in the enlarged primary scan. The cursive explanatory commentary has not been fully transcribed; detailed popular narratives are excluded unless supported separately.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Konjaku Hyakki Shūi
Volume 3; IIIF canvas index 5 (zero-based); HyakkishuYiV3Tori_0006.jp2. Named illustration directly inspected.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Konjaku Hyakki Shūi
Volume 3, Rain (雨); Smithsonian Libraries digitized copy. IIIF canvas index 5 (zero-based); HyakkishuYiV3Tori_0006.jp2
Printed label 芭蕉精 and the pictured composition directly inspected at enlarged resolution. A long-haired human-like head emerges among broad banana leaves in Sekien’s Bashō-no-sei print. The exact image URL comes from the returned IIIF manifest, not a guessed page ID.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Institutional primary-book recordKonjaku Hyakki Shūi — Smithsonian Libraries digitized volume 3Research access: 2026-10-05
- Primary illustrated plate / institutional digitizationBashō-no-sei (芭蕉精) — exact inspected primary plateResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationBashō-no-sei, named plate by Toriyama Sekien
Printed label 芭蕉精 and the pictured composition directly inspected at enlarged resolution. A long-haired human-like head emerges among broad banana leaves in Sekien’s Bashō-no-sei print. The exact image URL comes from the returned IIIF manifest, not a guessed page ID.
