Ōgao, named plate by Toriyama Sekien
Ōgao, labelled 大顔, is an enlarged face in Sekien’s Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki. The plate places a woman’s enormous head and upper body behind a series of decorated folding screens. Her hair falls around her shoulders, and a raised hand crosses near her neck. A standing lamp and the screened interior create an ordinary domestic setting against which the abnormal scale of the face becomes conspicuous. Caption label checked at enlarged resolution.
Overview
Ōgao, labelled 大顔, is an enlarged face in Sekien’s Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki. The plate places a woman’s enormous head and upper body behind a series of decorated folding screens. Her hair falls around her shoulders, and a raised hand crosses near her neck. A standing lamp and the screened interior create an ordinary domestic setting against which the abnormal scale of the face becomes conspicuous.
This figure should remain separate from Ōkubi, whose adjacent plate presents a head filling a darker, less domestic composition. The two names can sound similar in English descriptions, but Sekien supplies distinct headings and images. The Ōgao plate gives useful evidence for appearance and setting; it does not show an attack, victims, or a transformation sequence. A presumed appetite or habit of killing sleepers cannot be inferred from the scale of its face alone.
Origins & earliest records
Japan; Toriyama Sekien’s illustrated collection
Records & interpretation
Directly inspected labelled primary woodblock plate; descriptive claims limited to this witness.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
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Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki
Inspected Smithsonian digitization; image canvas index 16 (zero-based, not printed page number).
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
Konjakuzokuhyak3Tori. Label 大顔; IIIF canvas index 16; zero-based scan locator, not printed pagination
Ōgao, labelled 大顔, is an enlarged face in Sekien’s Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki. The plate places a woman’s enormous head and upper body behind a series of decorated folding screens. Her hair falls around her shoulders, and a raised hand crosses near her neck. A standing lamp and the screened interior create an ordinary domestic setting against which the abnormal scale of the face becomes conspicuous. Caption label checked at enlarged resolution.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary illustrated sourceKonjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki digitized primary plate 大顔Research access: 2026-10-05
- Institutional catalogSmithsonian Libraries digitized volumeResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationŌgao, named plate by Toriyama Sekien
Ōgao, labelled 大顔, is an enlarged face in Sekien’s Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki. The plate places a woman’s enormous head and upper body behind a series of decorated folding screens. Her hair falls around her shoulders, and a raised hand crosses near her neck. A standing lamp and the screened interior create an ordinary domestic setting against which the abnormal scale of the face becomes conspicuous. Caption label checked at enlarged resolution.
