Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 面白, Omoshiroshi
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Omoshiroshi is a strange supernatural being depicted as a ghostly figure with only its upper body visible. It wears a white burial kimono, known as a shiro-muku, and has a completely white face without eyes, a nose, or any other facial features. Its blank, featureless head gives it an eerie and unsettling appearance.
Omoshiroshi appears in the Kaidō Zukan, an illustrated scroll of supernatural creatures painted by Miyagawa Shunsui during the middle of Japan’s Edo period. The surviving depiction shows only the creature’s upper body, dressed entirely in white, with its smooth face lacking any recognizable human features. No further details about its behavior, origins, or supernatural abilities are recorded.
Sources
. “おもしろし (Omoshiroshi).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654296.html