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YOSHITOSHI, Tsukiokaa (1839 - 1892)	New Forms of Thirty-six Ghosts - No. XXXV: The Ghost Story of Yotsuya
	Signed:                   Yoshitoshi, with artist's red seal. Publisher:              Sasaki Date:                       1892 Size:                        c. 37 x 24.5 cms / c. 14 1/2" x 9 1/2" Condition: EXCELLENT impression, color and condition. Three-color title cartouche of the FIRST EDITION. ref. no.:    # 763358 - Sold -

The print is about the gruesome story of an abused woman, Oiwa and her vengeful soul haunting her cruel husband, Yotsuya. In this print she is still content snd nursing her baby, but the green ôbi sash hanging over a room divider is ominously swaying in the wind, as if it were a menacing snake. Throughout his life, Yoshitoshi was captivated by images of ghosts and monsters. He created this series from old legends using his own interpretations. Instead of merely producing frightening images, he focused on the reaction of the people in the design, in order to explore the mood and psychological insight. The irregular borders around the design, which look like torn and worm-eaten, render the sense of history. The lavishly printed series became one of the most acclaimed and popular series of the Meiji period. "The Yotsuya Ghost Story, written by Tsuru-ya Nanboku and premiered in 1825, is still a very popular Kabuki play. Yotsuya is an area of central Tokyo that Yoshitoshi must have passed through many times. The story is based on actual events". (Further information is given in John Stevenson's publication (* see below). Reference: - van den Ing/Schaap, "Beauty and Violence ..."; Eindhoven, NL, 1992; pp. 141-143 - John Stevenson, "Yoshitoshi's Thirty-Six Ghosts"; New York/Tokyo, 1983; no. XXXV, pp. 88-89. (*)

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