Name Meaning
Jinmenju (人面樹) literally means “human-faced tree.” It is said to bear fruit or flowers resembling human heads that grin and laugh.
- Jin (人) = human
- Men (面) = face
- Ju (樹) = tree
Origin
- Featured in ancient Chinese bestiaries and brought into Japanese yokai lore.
- Listed in the Edo-period yokai encyclopedias such as Toriyama Sekien's works.
Appearance
- A tree with branches covered in flower-like heads bearing smiling or laughing human faces.
- The faces do not speak, but are constantly laughing or grinning eerily.
- Sometimes the fruit is said to drop off if laughed at too hard.
Behavior & Myths
- The laughing faces are eerie and unsettling to passersby.
- Some say those who stare too long at the faces are driven mad by laughter.
- The tree is rarely found and often shrouded in dense fog or hidden groves.
Symbolism
- Represents surreal beauty and the uncanny in nature.
- Embodies the discomfort of the human face appearing in unnatural contexts.
- Appears in artistic interpretations of yokai as a symbol of mystery and imagination.
