Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Kyūenbō, Three-Eyed Old Monkey Monk, Sanmoku Kōen
Category: Monkey
The Myth
Mitsume no Kyūenbō is a three-eyed supernatural creature appearing in Ōishi Hyōroku Yumemonogatari, a tale about the adventures of a rough young man named Ōishi Hyōroku. The creature appears in the fields of Yoshino in Satsuma, where a shape-shifting fox has been tricking travellers and shaving their heads. Hyōroku sets out to defeat the fox but encounters a succession of frightening monsters, including Ibaraki Dōji, Shigetomi Ichiganbō, and two severed-head women. Terrified, he flees until he reaches the area around Mochidome Mountain, where the three-eyed creature emerges from the shadows of the trees.
The monster introduces itself as the Three-Eyed Old Monkey Monk, boasting that it has recently risen in status and changed its name to Kōanami. It claims to have been summoned to the Yoshino palace, where it accompanies the nobility during moon-viewing and flower-viewing festivities, enjoying luxurious cushions and precious curtains. It explains its transformation through an exaggerated saying: a monkey lives for a thousand years before becoming a hihi, and a hihi lives for ten thousand years before becoming Kōanami. Its head is supposedly studded with silver needles, while bronze mirrors cover its eyes, making it shine like a precious jewel in every direction.
The creature continues its lengthy speech by boasting of its training under the famous artist and craftsman Hon’ami Kōetsu. It claims expertise in evaluating swords, utensils, paintings, tea ceremony, flower arranging, and miniature landscape gardens, although it admits that it lacks the wisdom of the celebrated calligrapher Yan Zhenqing and cannot escape accusations of illiteracy. After delivering a series of insults against Hyōroku, the monster grabs him by the collar and attempts to pull him closer. Once again terrified, Hyōroku begs the gods for protection and runs away. The creature’s pompous self-praise and exaggerated claims suggest that it was intended to mock a particular person or social figure. A related illustrated version of the story features a similar monster called Sanmoku Kōen, or Three-Eyed Monkey Ape.
Sources
“Mi-me-kyuenbou.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1051081746.html