Tenjōkudari

Overview

Tenjōkudari hangs upside down through an opening in a room's ceiling. Its long hairy arms reach below a large face, and its tongue projects from a wide grin. The upper body emerges between rafters, with broken or displaced ceiling panels marking the passage into the room. Straight wooden framing emphasizes the creature's inverted pose. Most of the page is devoted to this indoor architecture and the descending body rather than to a separate observer.

The title 天井下 identifies the ceiling-descending subject. The picture is direct evidence for its distinctive mode of appearing in Sekien's book. No witness, attack or outcome is shown. A profile should therefore preserve the visible entry through the ceiling without inventing a householder's response or a motive.

Origins & earliest records

Toriyama Sekien includes the named illustration in Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, first published 1779. The inspected Smithsonian copy is a later historical edition; the first book appearance is not a claim of the earliest oral tradition.

Records & interpretation

Directly inspected historical illustration and printed name. Pictorial observations are distinguished from narrative claims that would require a separate checked text.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki

   Toriyama Sekien · 1779; later digitized edition

   Volume 3, IIIF canvas index 15 (zero-based); printed title 天井下 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 recordSmithsonian Libraries — historical illustrated volumeResearch access: 2026-10-05
2. Direct primary illustrationNamed primary plate: 天井下Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

Tenjōkudari, named plate by Toriyama Sekien

Printed title天井下 and actual illustration inspected. Description records visible composition, not an unchecked translation of cursive text.