The Gaze of Mokumokuren: Unveiling the Eyes in the Shōji
Imagine staying in a centuries-old Japanese inn, or ryokan. The atmosphere is heavy with history, the tatami mats scent the air, and the room is divided by shōji—traditional sliding doors made of translucent paper over a wooden lattice. As the candle flickers, you notice a small tear in the paper screen. You lean in closer to inspect it, only to find an unblinking eye staring back at you. This is the Mokumokuren (目目連), one of Japan’s most unsettling yet fascinating yōkai (spirits).
While many Japanese monsters roam the forests or haunt the seas, the Mokumokuren is a domestic spirit, inextricably linked to the architecture of the Japanese home. In this deep dive, we explore the origins, legends, and cultural significance of the “Many-Eyed One.”
Origins: The Spirit of Neglect
The Mokumokuren is classified as a tsukumogami—a type of yōkai that originates from inanimate objects. According to Japanese folklore, tools and household items that are used for 100 years acquire a spirit. However, the Mokumokuren is slightly different; it is born not just from age, but from neglect.
The name “Mokumokuren” literally translates to “continuous eyes” or “many eyes.” Its primary habitat is the shōji screen. In the Edo period, paper screens were essential but fragile. If they were torn and left unrepaired by a lazy or stingy homeowner, the holes would eventually become filled with ghostly eyes, watching the inhabitants’ every move.
Unlike ancient gods described in the Kojiki, the Mokumokuren is largely attributed to Toriyama Sekien, the 18th-century scholar and artist. He first cataloged this creature in his 1781 volume, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi (Supplement to The Hundred Demons from the Present and the Past). It is widely believed that Sekien invented or popularized this yōkai as a satirical commentary on the decline of maintaining one’s home, embodying the Japanese concept of mottainai (regret over wastefulness).
The Legend of the Watching Walls
While the Mokumokuren is generally considered harmless—it does not physically attack humans—it is terrifying psychologically. The most famous legend involving this spirit tells the tale of a traveling merchant.
As the story goes, a frugal merchant decided to save money by sleeping in an abandoned, dilapidated house rather than paying for an inn. The house was in shambles, with the shōji screens riddled with holes. As the merchant tried to sleep, he felt an intense gaze upon him. When he opened his eyes, he was horrified to see hundreds of eyeballs blinking at him from the tears in the paper screens.
In some versions of the tale, the merchant is paralyzed by fear until morning, when the eyes vanish with the sunlight. However, a more humorous folklore variant suggests the merchant was so fearless (or perhaps just greedy) that he plucked the eyes from the screen and sold them to a local eye doctor the next morning. This mix of horror and humor is characteristic of Edo-period ghost stories (kaidan).
Modern Culture: From Woodblock to Anime
The image of a wall or door full of eyes has transcended its 18th-century roots to become a staple in modern Japanese pop culture. The Mokumokuren serves as a visual shorthand for a “haunted house” in anime and manga.
- GeGeGe no Kitarō: Shigeru Mizuki, the manga artist who revitalized yōkai culture in the 20th century, frequently featured Mokumokuren as a background character or a minor nuisance to the protagonist, Kitarō.
- Video Games: Creatures resembling Mokumokuren appear in various franchises, including the Mario series (appearing as wall-dwelling eyes) and the Nioh series, where they serve as environmental hazards.
- Design: The motif of the watching eye is often used in J-Horror to invoke paranoia, a direct descendant of the Mokumokuren’s unsettling gaze.
Traveler’s Tips: Where to Find the Yōkai
If you are a traveler fascinated by the supernatural side of Japan, you won’t find Mokumokuren in a modern Tokyo hotel. However, you can immerse yourself in the atmosphere that created this legend.
- Mizuki Shigeru Road (Sakaiminato, Tottori): This is the ultimate pilgrimage for yōkai lovers. The street is lined with over 170 bronze statues of spirits, including the Mokumokuren. The museum there offers fantastic history on how these creatures moved from folklore to pop culture.
- Tono City (Iwate Prefecture): Known as the City of Folklore, this rural area is the setting for The Legends of Tono. While famous for the Kappa, the preserved traditional farmhouses (magariya) with their old shōji screens provide the perfect eerie atmosphere to imagine eyes watching you.
- Stay in a Kominka: Booking a stay in a renovated kominka (traditional folk house) in areas like the Iyer Valley or Shirakawa-go allows you to experience the architecture of the Edo period. Just make sure the shōji are in good repair!
Sources & Further Reading
To deepen your understanding of Japanese mythology and the classification of spirits like the Mokumokuren, consider exploring the following texts:
- Konjaku Hyakki Shūi (1781) by Toriyama Sekien: The primary source for the visual depiction of the Mokumokuren.
- The Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) & The Nihon Shoki: While these 8th-century texts focus on the creation myths and major deities (Kami) rather than domestic yōkai, they provide the essential foundation for understanding the animistic worldview that allows spirits like Mokumokuren to exist.
- Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore by Michael Dylan Foster: An excellent English-language academic resource on the history of these monsters.