No.02

Keukegen

THE HAIRY RARITY

For reference: old artToriyama Sekien
"Keukegen" from Konjaku Hyakki Shui
Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Japanese name: 毛羽毛現（KEUKEGEN）
Type: House spirit
Found in: Under the floor, in damp, shadowy corners

◆ The legend

A small yokai about the size of a puppy, covered from head to toe in shaggy hair. It's best known from the picture book of yokai by the Edo-period artist Toriyama Sekien. It lurks under floors and in damp corners around the house, and it was said that if one settled in, the people living there would fall ill.

The fun part is its name. Besides 毛羽毛現, it can also be written 希有希見 — "rarely exists, rarely seen." In other words, just meeting one is extremely unusual. Does seeing it make you sick, or are you lucky to see it at all? It's hard to tell which.

◆ Stories about this yokai

October 8, 2026Toriyama Sekien, the Edo Artist Who Gave Yokai Their FacesMany of the yokai shapes we picture today spread from the picture books of Edo artist Toriyama Sekien. What was his Gazu Hyakki Yagyo, and how did he draw the Keukegen and Kamaitachi? A gentle introduction.