Mokumokuren: The Watching Eyes of Japanese Shoji Doors
Imagine settling down for the night in an ancient, dilapidated Japanese house. The wind whistles through the cracks in the wooden walls, and the candle flickers. You look toward the sliding paper doors—the shōji—and notice the paper is torn and tattered. Suddenly, a blinking eye appears in one of the holes. Then another. And another. Soon, the entire lattice is filled with hundreds of unblinking eyes staring directly at you.
This is the domain of the Mokumokuren (目目連), one of Japan’s most visually unsettling yet fascinating yōkai (spirits). For travelers and culture enthusiasts fascinated by the supernatural side of Japan, understanding the Mokumokuren offers a unique glimpse into the country’s animistic traditions and the importance of caring for one’s belongings.
The Origins: When Objects Come to Life
The name Mokumokuren literally translates to “many eyes” or “continuous eyes.” While Japanese folklore is ancient, this specific spirit is widely believed to have been popularized—or perhaps invented—by the famous ukiyo-e artist and folklorist Toriyama Sekien.
In 1781, Sekien published Konjaku Hyakki Shūi (Supplement to The Hundred Demons from the Present and the Past), a bestiary of supernatural creatures. It was here that the Mokumokuren was illustrated as a dilapidated shōji screen swarming with eyeballs.
The concept rests heavily on the idea of Tsukumogami. In Japanese folklore, tools and household objects that survive for 100 years acquire a spirit and come to life. While some tsukumogami are harmless pranksters, others are born of neglect. The Mokumokuren is the spiritual manifestation of a house that has fallen into disrepair, specifically the sliding paper screens that have been allowed to tear without being mended.
The Legend: A Warning Against Neglect
Unlike the violent oni or the deceptive kitsune, the Mokumokuren is generally considered harmless, though terrifying to behold. They do not physically attack humans; their primary purpose is to watch.
One famous tale involves a stingy lumber merchant who moved into a run-down house to save money. He refused to pay for repairs, leaving the shōji screens full of holes. On the first night, he noticed eyes popping out of the tears in the paper. Being a man of greed rather than fear, he tried to grab the eyeballs, thinking he could sell them to an eye surgeon. However, the eyes vanished the moment he reached for them, only to reappear when he sat back down. Eventually, the sheer creepiness of the constant surveillance drove him out of the house.
The only way to banish a Mokumokuren is simple yet symbolic: repair the door. By patching the holes in the paper, the eyes are blinded and the spirit vanishes. This serves as a cultural lesson emphasizing the importance of maintenance, cleanliness, and respect for one’s home.
Modern Culture: From Edo Scrolls to Anime
Today, the Mokumokuren has transcended its Edo-period origins to become a staple in Japanese pop culture. It is a favorite character design for artists because of its surreal and striking appearance.
- Anime and Manga: The spirit features prominently in the series GeGeGe no Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki, who played a massive role in reviving yōkai culture in the 20th century. It also appears in Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan.
- Video Games: Gamers might recognize the concept in the Nioh series or as inspiration for various monsters in the Pokémon and Yo-kai Watch franchises.
The Mokumokuren has become a symbol of the “haunted house” aesthetic in Japan. If you walk through a haunted attraction (obake-yashiki) in Tokyo during the summer, you are almost guaranteed to see a projection or prop of a shōji door filled with moving eyes.
Traveler’s Tips: Experiencing Yōkai Culture
If you are traveling to Japan and want to immerse yourself in the world of spirits like the Mokumokuren, there are specific destinations you should add to your itinerary:
- Mizuki Shigeru Road (Sakaiminato, Tottori): This street is dedicated to the creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro. It features over 170 bronze statues of different yōkai, including the Mokumokuren. It is a pilgrimage site for folklore lovers.
- Yokai Street (Ichijo-dori, Kyoto): Located in Kyoto, this shopping street embraces the supernatural. The shop owners create their own handmade monsters (often tsukumogami) and display them outside their stores.
- Stay in a Ryokan: While high-end ryokans (traditional inns) are impeccably maintained, staying in a preserved, historic wooden building gives you a sense of the atmosphere where these legends were born. Just hope the shōji paper is fresh!
Sources & Further Reading
To dive deeper into the history of Japanese monsters, the following texts and museums are essential resources:
- Konjaku Hyakki Shūi (1781) by Toriyama Sekien: The primary visual source for the Mokumokuren.
- The Miyoshi Mononoke Museum (Hiroshima): A museum housing a vast collection of yōkai-related artifacts.
- While the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki serve as the foundation for Japan’s ancient gods and creation myths, the Mokumokuren belongs to the later Edo-period folklore boom, reflecting a shift from divine mythology to urban legends and ghost stories.