JINMENJU

Lore

A rare yokai whose legacy weaves together Japanese and ancient Chinese lore, the Jimmendju is regarded as one of the oldest of its kind. These gargantuan trees possess powerful roots and branches that dominate forest groves. Yet it is their fruit that truly stands out: each one appears as a human head—complete with eyes and a mouth—ranging from wrinkled, elderly visages to youthful faces. Most unsettlingly, these heads can speak, laugh, cry, or curse.

Many ancient tales hold that these “fruits” are punished souls who died violently or committed grievous errors. Their spirits found no peace and merged with the tree. In some traditions, the tree absorbs wandering ghosts, turning them into these uncanny fruits. The chattering echoes the remnants of their previous human existence—a reminder that these souls remain awareness, trapped in a strange limbo.

Some legends claim the fruits fall only once a soul finds rest. Others say they may drop simply from boisterous laughter: if one fruit’s laughter proves contagious, a whole cascade of them tumble from the branches to the earth.