Oni-hitokuchi, named plate by Toriyama Sekien
Printed label 鬼一口 and the pictured composition directly inspected at enlarged resolution. An immense clawed ogre hand and mouth loom above an overturned carriage in Sekien’s Oni-hitokuchi scene. The exact image URL comes from the returned IIIF manifest, not a guessed page ID.
Overview
Oni-hitokuchi is represented through an immense mouth and clawed hand occupying the upper part of the image. Long hair hangs behind the fingers, which reach down toward a richly decorated carriage. The carriage is tipped sharply, exposing its wheel and underside. A small fan lies on the ground, giving the scene a displaced personal object and a strong sense of interruption.
The printed title 鬼一口 marks the specific named scene. Unlike the complete kneeling ogres in Griffis’s Momotarō illustration, Sekien crops this threatening body to the parts that make contact with the vehicle. The profile treats that composition as a distinct titled apparition or narrative motif, rather than another anatomical species of oni. Its exact literary allusions require fuller transcription of the accompanying text.
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 鬼一口 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 2; IIIF canvas index 13 (zero-based); HyakkishuYiV2Tori_0014.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 2, Mist (霧); Smithsonian Libraries digitized copy. IIIF canvas index 13 (zero-based); HyakkishuYiV2Tori_0014.jp2
Printed label 鬼一口 and the pictured composition directly inspected at enlarged resolution. An immense clawed ogre hand and mouth loom above an overturned carriage in Sekien’s Oni-hitokuchi scene. 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 2Research access: 2026-10-05
- Primary illustrated plate / institutional digitizationOni-hitokuchi (鬼一口) — exact inspected primary plateResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationOni-hitokuchi, named plate by Toriyama Sekien
Printed label 鬼一口 and the pictured composition directly inspected at enlarged resolution. An immense clawed ogre hand and mouth loom above an overturned carriage in Sekien’s Oni-hitokuchi scene. The exact image URL comes from the returned IIIF manifest, not a guessed page ID.
