Menreiki

Menreiki as depicted in the Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro.

Menreiki (面霊気) is a type of yōkai in Japanese folklore, composed of Gigaku masks. It is listed within the 1781 compedium of Japanese supernatural entities, entitled Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro.

It is mentioned in folklore that during the time of Prince Shotoku, the prince created various Gigaku masks which were used by Hata no Kawakatsu, and that the Menreiki is based on those masks.^[1][2]

References

1. 村上健司編著 『妖怪事典』 毎日新聞社、2000年、329頁。ISBN 978-4-620-31428-0。
2. 多田克己 『幻想世界の住人たち IV 日本編』 新紀元社〈Truth in fantasy〉、1990年、303頁。ISBN 978-4-915146-44-2。