Gagou (A Yōkai Spirit)

The image shows a monstrous figure called Gagou, rendered with a bright red, wrinkled face, a prominent hooked nose, and a wide, agape mouth revealing teeth. The creature’s eyes are large, pale yellow spheres with dark pupils, set beneath heavy, furrowed brows. It wears a pale, draped head covering or hood that frames its distorted features and flows over its shoulder. One clawed hand is extended forward with spindly, sharp fingers, suggesting a grasping or threatening motion.

Gagou is a figure from Japanese folklore often associated with the yōkai-e (pictures of monsters) tradition, appearing in scrolls such as the Bakemono no e. These depictions reflect Edo-period cultural fascinations with the supernatural, grotesque, and the categorization of unseen spirit entities.