In Japanese Mythology

Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...

, are spirits that live in torn shōji

Shoji

In traditional Japanese architecture, a shōji is a door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a lattice of wood or bamboo...

 (Japanese paper sliding walls). If the shōji has many holes, eyes can sometimes be seen on it, which, if looked at long enough, can make people blind. The only way to remove the spirit from the wall is to patch up the holes in it. Mokumokuren is said to be an invention of Toriyama Sekien

Toriyama Sekien

thumb|200px| was an 18th century scholar and ukiyo-e artist of Japanese folklore. He was the teacher of Utamaro and, before taking up printmaking, a painter of the Kanō school. Toriyama is most famous for his attempt to catalogue all species of yōkai in the Hyakki Yakō series.-References:...

.