Pair of Japanese Polychrome Wood Acrobatic Tako-nyudo

Anthropomorphic Octopus Figures, probably Meiji Period, late 19th century

A Tako-nyudo (???, literally “octopus priest”) is a fascinating sea monster, or y?kai, from traditional Japanese folklore. The term nyudo originally refers to a Buddhist monk or a man with a shaven head, but it is also used humorously to describe bald, round-headed supernatural creatures. Because of the octopus’s naturally smooth and bulbous head, Japanese folklore transformed it into a humanoid, monk-like being. The Tako-nyudo is typically depicted with a large, hairless octopus head, the face of a bearded old man, a vaguely human torso that merges into long, flowing tentacles lined with suckers and a Buddhist or monastic robe draped over its marine body, further emphasizing its comical resemblance to a priest