Itsumade
Image associated with the exact linked encyclopedia article; consult credited file description for its interpretation.
Overview
Itsumade is an eerie composite bird that Sekien connects with an episode in the Taiheiki. The creature cries a phrase meaning roughly until when, and its appearance at the palace prompts an archer's intervention. The underlying narrative describes a monstrous bird before Sekien gives the cry a prominent place in its name. The figure therefore has both a literary episode and a later illustrated identification.
Accounts supply a hybrid body and fear during a period of sickness, but the traditional date of the event is not the publication date of the text or plate. Comparing it with the nue is useful because both stories turn an ominous palace presence into a target for martial skill. This profile preserves the distinction between the cry, the narrative creature and Sekien's naming, rather than presenting every version as an identical species.
Origins & earliest records
Selected historical witness: Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki (1779) by Toriyama Sekien. The linked library record identifies a surviving printed edition; it does not establish when the belief first arose.
Records & interpretation
The historical illustration and individual contextual reference support this profile. Named motifs, local narratives and later explanations are distinguished; image-to-plate matching still needs review.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki
Selected historical witness; individual illustration now checked in the separately linked primary scan. This edition is not a claim of the earliest oral attestation.
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 Gazu Zoku Hyakki
Volume 3; Smithsonian Libraries digitized copy. IIIF canvas index 4 (zero-based); Konjakuzokuhyak3Tori_0005.jp2
Printed 以津真天 with reading いつまで; a human-faced, long-necked bird with talons coils above a building among dark clouds. Label checked at1000 pixel scan width; cursive explanatory text not fully transcribed.
Encyclopedia background
An additional attributed reference, separate from the editorial profile above.
Read the open encyclopedia overview
Itsumade (Japanese: 以津真天) is an eerie bird featured in the Japanese collection of Yōkai pictures, the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by Toriyama Sekien published in 1779. Its picture has the explanatory text, "as explained more fully in the Taiheiki, Hiroari shot the eerie bird that cries, 'itsumade itsumade'" (広有 いつまでいつまでと鳴し怪鳥を射し事 太平記に委し), so it depicts the odd bird that appears in the Taiheiki (circa 14c), volume 12, "Hiroari Shot the Eerie Bird" (広有射怪鳥事, "Hiroari Keteu wo Iru Koto").
Text from Wikipedia contributors, “Itsumade”. CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted introduction; formatting changed. Retrieved 5 October 2026. The source article may have changed since retrieval.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary illustration / library recordKonjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki — historical library editionResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Secondary referenceItsumade — contextual overview and bibliographyResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Primary illustrated plate / institutional digitizationKonjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki — directly inspected IIIF canvas index 4 (zero-based); Konjakuzokuhyak3Tori_0005.jp2Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationItsumade
Image associated with the exact linked encyclopedia article; consult credited file description for its interpretation.
