Tenome appear very similar to humans except they have their eyes in the palms of their hands instead of on their face. It is said that tenome are the spirits of blind people who were murdered. They pose as members of a guild for blind people (zato). Since they look so similar to ordinary humans, this yōkai is seldom noticed before it gets close enough to attack.
Tenome can't see very well. They make up for this by hunting their prey via smell and by being unusually fast. Since they like to hunt at night, their victims often don't see them coming.
FUN FACT: There is a yōkai very similar to tenome called kurayami me. Their eyes are on their kneecaps. Strangely, they can navigate easily at night but often bump into things during the day.
Examples in various media:
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The Pale Man (Pan's Labyrinth)
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Krumm (Aaahh!!! Real Monsters)
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
