Yoshitoshi's Thirty-Six Ghosts - In this incredible series, Yoshitoshi illustrated thirty-six of his favorite tales from Japanese history and legend. From charming folk stories to bloody tales of revenge, the series is the work of the artist's maturity and Yoshitoshi explores the subjects with great subtlety and psychological perception. As interesting to Yoshitoshi as the ghosts and monsters, are the human beings to whom they appear. Yoshitoshi was immensely popular in the last years of his life and the ghost series was greeted with great enthusiasm and a rush to collect among the Japanese public.

Today, prints from Yoshitoshi's Thirty-six Ghosts series are some of the most highly sought after prints on the market. A wonderful area of collecting for the Yoshitoshi enthusiast.

Nitta no Tadatsune Sees an Apparition in a Cave, No. 21 - Terrific depiction of the warrior Nitta no Shiro Tadatsune fearlessly entering a cave that he and his friends had discovered at Mt. Fuji. While his other companions were afraid to enter, he plunged ahead into the darkness, where he encountered an apparition of the Goddess Kannon (or alternately, the spirit of Mt. Fuji). The deity praised his courage and bravery before disappearing. Here, he crawls through an opening, waving a flaming torch as bats scatter before him, the red flames and smoke drifting up into the darkness. He wears tan kimono spotted deerskin chaps for hunting, a black cap on his head. Beautifully detailed with soft shading. A striking design from this fascinating series.

Artist - Yoshitoshi (1839 - 1892)

Image Size - 14 1/4" x 9 1/2"

Condition - Good color, nice impression. Slightly wrinkled, as shown. A bit of soiling, not noticeable. Good overall, see photos.