Yoshtoshi - One Hundred Ghost Stories from China and Japan

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

The famous wrestler Shirafuji Genta watching kappa (amphibious half humanoid, half turtle creatures).

The text in the large, pale yellow and blue cartouche in the upper right reads: "He was a son of a farmer named Genzaemon of Haneoki village in the Esumi region of Kazusa country [present-day Gunma prefecture]. Being extremely strong, he loved sumo wrestling and had bouts with numerous famous sumo wrestlers. Nobody could defeat him. His fame spread widely and wherever people gathered they talked about him with admiration. One summer, when he was standing under a willow tree, a kappa appeared and wanted to compare its strength with Shirafuji's. Shirafuji roared at the kappa, threw it down and killed it."

This series dates from early in Yoshitoshi's career. It was one of his first major series, and his first to illustrate ghosts. It was an ambitious attempt by Yoshitoshi, but only 26 of the 100 prints were ever published. The series was based upon a game where fearsome stories are told by candlelight - one light being extinguished after each story told. This is one of the best prints in the series.

Publisher: Daikokuya Kinnosuke (Kinjirô)

Date: 1865

Size: 36.3 x 24 cm (14 5/16 x 9 7/16 in.)

Condition: Print has good color and impression, not backed but backing remnants and repairs on the right border which you can see on the reverse.

Genre: Ukiyo-e

Medium: Woodblock Print

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/462309