"Onoe Kikugoro III as the Ghost of Oiwa in Yotsuya Kaidan" (1836), Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)

Image by Laku

Medium: Woodblock print Dimensions: 10in x 13.75in

Yotsuya Kaidan is a one of the most renowned Japanese ghost stories with more than 30 film adaptations over its history. This story was most famously performed as a Kabuki play, which led to the production of many woodblock prints, showcasing different depictions of the story. The main storyline follows the death of a woman called Oiwa, who accidentally killed herself after realizing the facial cream she received as a gift from the Ito family disfigured her beautiful face. Lemon, Oiwa's husband marries a member of the Ito family, in which Oiwa finally seeks revenge by killing the entire Ito family and Lemon being slayed by a samurai. Kuniyoshi's depiction of Oiwa is a ghost that comes out of a lantern, which is one of many iterations of this Kabuki play. Oiwa's deformity reflects the revengeful spirit that corrupted her reikon and she must continue to carry the burden into the afterlife.

https://woodblockprints.org/index.php/Detail/objects/459