Yoshtoshi - One Hundred Ghost Stories from China and Japan

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Kusunoki Tamonmaru Masayuki Surprising a Fox Ghost. The text reads: "Masayuki was the eldest son of Tachibana Masashige and the finest general of Nanchō [Southern Dynasty]. One night when he was a little boy, he went down to the garden to try out a wooden horse. O, how strange, a monster appeared [from the wooden horse] and menaced Masayuki. Without showing any sign of fear, the boy sprang upon the monster and stabbed him to death. People rushed out to examine the monster, which turned out to be an old badger."

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.

Publisher: Daikokuya Kinnosuke (Kinjirô)

Date: 1865

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

Condition: Good color and impression, not backed. Repairs and tears to the border areas as shown.

Genre: Ukiyo-e

Medium: Woodblock Print

https://woodblockprints.org/index.php/Detail/objects/1404