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.

The Ghost of Seigen Haunting Sakurahime, No. 5 - Wonderful scene from the story of Sakurahime, the "Cherry Princess" and a very famous courtesan from Kyoto. She fell in love with a young abbot named Seigen from Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, and the pair ran away and abandoned their respective positions. Seigen was killed by an outraged servant of the princess. Here, Seigen's ghost appears in the smoke from her coal brazier, visiting his love in this bittersweet scene. Sakurahime wears a lovely kimono patterned with cherry blossoms, a symbol of the transience of life. A beautiful print from Yoshitoshi’s "Thirty-Six Ghosts," detailed with embossing in the white kimono trim.

Artist - Yoshitoshi (1839 - 1892)

Image Size - 12 7/8" x 8 3/4" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Small loss at corner, repaired. Slight toning and soiling, a few spots and stains, slight creasing and rubbing. Please see photos for details.