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 Yotsuya Ghost Story, No. 35 - A terrific scene from the Yotsuya Ghost story, a popular kabuki play of Yoshitoshi's time. The young mother Oiwa is depicted nursing her son. A sash rears up in a snake-like pose, foreshadowing the danger ahead for her. The father of a young girl smitten with Oiwa's husband, Iyemon, gave him a potion to help Oiwa while she was still weak from child birth. Rather than helping her though, the potion deformed her and turned her into a monster. Iyemon deserted her and was convinced by his neighbors to marry their daughter. Afraid to tell Oiwa that he wanted a divorce, he began abusing her, hoping she would leave on her own. Instead, she killed herself. Condemned by her loyal servant Kohei for his cruelty, Iyemon killed him as well. He nailed their bodies to a plank and threw it into a river. He then prepared to marry the wealthy neighbor's daughter, but when he lifted her veil, he was horrified to see his wife's disfigured face. He struck his new bride dead and then killed her father, who he imagined was his wife's loyal servant. Down by the river, he saw the bodies on the plank and imagining the ghosts were calling out to him, he drowned himself in the river. A charming scene between a mother and child in a moment of peace, the ominous sash and the knowledge of the terrible story imparting a strange dread to the illustration. A wonderful original print.

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. Toning, slight soiling and creasing, a few spots and stains. Please see photos for details.