A scene from the "Hungry Ghosts Scroll" (Gaki soshi) dating from the late 12th century. In a room just off the banquet room of the previous image, a baby is getting its diaper changed. A large hungry ghost hovers hoping to get a chance to lick the diapers. The women seemed completely unconcerned -- they have no idea that there is a ghost in their midst.

Hungry ghosts were thought to be perpetually hungry because of their huge stomachs. Their pencil-thin necks, however, make it impossible for them to ever get enough to eat and drink. In addition, they can't see normal food. The only thing they can see to eat is stuff that is decaying and rotten: in this and following pictures we see them eating fecal matter and even human remains. There was a series of famines in 12th century Japan, particularly 1181, and it is likely that this anonymous artist's vision of hungry ghosts came from having seen people dying of starvation. What aspects of their representation might reflect the artist's real life experience?