Kazenbō

Overview

Kazenbō appears as an emaciated human figure crouching close to a tree. Exposed ribs, thin limbs and a bald or closely cropped head make the body conspicuously skeletal. Flames curl around the trunk and behind the figure. One extended hand holds a string of beads, while a small roofed marker bearing a Buddhist emblem sits in the foreground.

The printed label 火前坊 ties these features to a named apparition rather than to an anonymous depiction of fire. The religious objects and bodily posture form part of the plate’s setting, but they do not by themselves establish a historical monk’s identity or a particular death. This profile therefore retains the directly visible fiery and monastic imagery while leaving a complete reading of the accompanying cursive commentary for further research.

Origins & earliest records

Toriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi (first published 1781), volume 2; 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 火前坊 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.

1. 01

   Konjaku Hyakki Shūi

   Toriyama Sekien · 1781

   Volume 2; IIIF canvas index 5 (zero-based); HyakkishuYiV2Tori_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

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Institutional primary-book recordKonjaku Hyakki Shūi — Smithsonian Libraries digitized volume 2Research access: 2026-10-05
2. Primary illustrated plate / institutional digitizationKazenbō (火前坊) — exact inspected primary plateResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

Kazenbō, named plate by Toriyama Sekien

Printed label 火前坊 and the pictured composition directly inspected at enlarged resolution. Sekien’s Kazenbō is a skeletal, monk-like figure among flames beside a tree and a small religious marker. The exact image URL comes from the returned IIIF manifest, not a guessed page ID.