HYAKUME

Lore

Hyakume—literally meaning “one hundred eyes”—is a primordial observer-yokai. It has no human backstory and carries no theme of moral retribution. Here “one hundred” is an idiom for “countless.” Unlike Dodomeki, whose many eyes resulted from a curse, Hyakume is a fleshy aberration: a shapeless mass covered evenly with yellow-tinged eyes. When closed, its lumpy body is almost indistinguishable from a nuppeppo.

Folklore places Hyakume in abandoned Buddhist temples and lightless caves. The sheer number of eyes makes it hypersensitive to light; in strong illumination, it becomes disoriented and retreats. Within its territory, it behaves like a watcher rather than a predator. It first sends out a scouting eye that detaches from the body and glides silently toward intruders, transmitting everything it sees back to the host.