Jinmenju or Ninmenju is a type of Yōkai and Yaoguai in Japanese and Chinese folklore. It is commonly depicted as a tree bearing flowers that resemble human heads. It notably appears in the Edo period Konjaku Hyakki Shūi by Toriyama Sekien. The Konjaku Hyakki Shūi depicts it as a tree blooming with flowers that resemble human heads, with the following explanatory text: “In mountain valleys, its flowers just like human heads, without a word, they merely just smile away, smile away until its petals fall just like that”. According to the Sancai Tuhui, Dashiguo is a land one thousand li southwest, with flowers like human heads, and upon asking it questions, its flowers would laugh, but it wouldn’t understand human language. If they laughed too much, the flowers would wither and fall.
Alias Ninmenju (人面樹)
Real Names/Alt Names “Human-faced tree”; Alt: Jinmenju
Description Jinmenju or Ninmenju is a type of Yōkai and Yaoguai in Japanese and Chinese folklore. It is commonly depicted as a tree bearing flowers that resemble human heads. It notably appears in the Edo period Konjaku Hyakki Shūi by Toriyama Sekien. The Konjaku Hyakki Shūi depicts it as a tree blooming with flowers that resemble human heads, with the following explanatory text: “In mountain valleys, its flowers just like human heads, without a word, they merely just smile away, smile away until its petals fall just like that”. According to the Sancai Tuhui, Dashiguo is a land one thousand li southwest, with flowers like human heads, and upon asking it questions, its flowers would laugh, but it wouldn’t understand human language. If they laughed too much, the flowers would wither and fall.
