Tenome
Image associated with the exact linked encyclopedia article; consult credited file description for its interpretation.
Overview
Tenome is identified by eyes placed on the palms of its hands, turning a human-like body into an unsettling arrangement of perception. Sekien's representation gives the name a clear visual expression. Hands that would ordinarily touch or grasp now also look, and the gesture makes the anatomical displacement immediately readable. The plate documents this design even where an accompanying story is absent or difficult to establish.
Later narratives supply explanations of pursuit and unusual sight, but the hand-eyes should be separated from any one modern origin tale. Historical monster illustration often communicates through a name and a striking body rather than through extensive prose. This entry treats the figure primarily as an iconographic witness. It does not assign a standard diet, habitat or lifespan, and it leaves the relationship between the artwork and earlier independent oral accounts open.
Origins & earliest records
Selected illustrated witness: Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (1776). This is an attestation of the named representation, not a claim that the belief began in that year.
Records & interpretation
Historical prints and textual references establish an imagined being and its representation. The linked contextual article distinguishes the pictured form from regional accounts; these sources do not establish zoological existence.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Gazu Hyakki Yagyō
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
Gazu Hyakki Yagyō
Volume 2, Yang (陽); NDL 1805 edition bound in catalog record 百鬼夜行 3巻拾遺3巻. [1]. NDL canvas 22, left page of photographed opening
Printed ての目; a bald humanoid raises a palm toward the viewer amid windblown grasses. Printed name and illustration inspected together. Canvas numbering identifies the digitized opening, not an original printed page number.
Tenome is drawn as a bald humanoid standing amid grasses whose leaves sweep across the page in long diagonals. The head tilts away from the raised arm, while a forward-facing palm supplies the feature associated with the printed name ての目. The robe falls loosely from the shoulders and exposes part of the chest. A second hand remains closer to the body, producing a distinctly gestural pose rather than a combat scene. The surrounding plants place the encounter outdoors. The facing page contains another creature stretched through a building, so that image should not be incorporated into Tenome's anatomy. The scan supports the palm-eye motif; it does not visibly narrate a murder, revenge, or attack on a particular traveller.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary illustrated book / national-library recordNocturnal Procession of the Hundred Demons — historical editionResearch access: 2026-10-05
- National library / primary illustration contextTORIYAMA Sekien’s Illustrated Night Parade of the Demon HordeResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Secondary referenceTenome — contextual overview and bibliographyResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Primary illustrated plate / institutional digitizationGazu Hyakki Yagyō — directly inspected NDL canvas 22, left page of photographed openingResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Reference illustrationTenome
Image associated with the exact linked encyclopedia article; consult credited file description for its interpretation.
