The character is miminashi Houichi. Not sure what to put for copyright, as while he's in Lafcadio Hearn's "Kwaidan" as well as the film of the same name, the book/film are collections of folktales, I'm not sure if his story ever appears in any hyakumonogatari but it might.

Synopsis for those who don't care to look it up: Houichi, a blind traveling musician who mistakenly performs for ghosts of nobility who are clearly draining him of his life force as he performs for them each night. To save him, Buddhist monks cover his entire body in sutras so that the ghosts can't see him. Unfortunately they forget ears, which wanting to perform his duties to best of his ability a ghost servant takes to deliver to his masters when he stumbles upon what appears to be a pair of ears floating in the spot where they were supposed to pick up Houichi. This leaves Houichi without the external parts of his ears and he lives the rest of his days as "miminashi Houichi" or "Houichi the earless."