Image

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳

Takiyasha Summons a Skeleton to confront Mitsukuni in the Sōma Castle

Description

Maker

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 (Japanese, 1798-1861
b. in Edo, Japan)

Title

Takiyasha Summons a Skeleton to confront Mitsukuni in the Sōma Castle

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

ca. 1844

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

color, ink

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Vertical ōban triptych: 37 x 74.1 cm (14 9/16 x 29 3/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed: Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga (on each sheet)
Censor's seal: Watari

Signature: Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga

Inscription: Inscription verso (all 3 parts), bottom right in pencil:ICB95

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Isaac C. Bates

Object Number

13.2336

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Heroes and Warriors
Japanese Prints of Historical Narratives and Legendary Tales
Sep 28, 2007 – Jan 13, 2008

Label copy

Taira no Masakado (d. 940), a provincial warlord who rebelled against the court, was defeated and killed. Here, in his ruined castle at Soma haunted by the ghosts of his soldiers, his sorceress daughter Takiyasha conjures up a spectral skeleton to frighten the court’s emissary, Mitsukuni. Mitsukuni, formerly a follower of Masakado, remains undaunted and ultimately defeats Takiyasha.

Triptychs in Japanese Printmaking
Jun 06, 2003 – Aug 31, 2003

Label copy

Takiyasha, daughter of a 10th-century provincial warlord who rebelled against the Kyoto court, is depicted in her ruined palace invoking a monster skeleton to frighten Kyoto’s representative, Mitsukuni. The brave emissary, to the left in the central panel, courageously faces the fearful specter and eventually overcomes the princess’s spells.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Dec 10, 1997 – Mar 08, 1998
Legends of the Samurai
Oct 01, 1993
Samurai, Soldiers, and Idealized Militarism in Japanese Prints
Oct 10, 1991 – Dec 01, 1991

Related Objects

Related Objects

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Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳

Apparition of the large skeleton summoned by Takiyasha daughter of Taira no Masakado in his haunted Soma Castle in front of Otake Taro Mitsukuni and his retainer, Edo (Japanese period)
No Image Available

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳

Apparition of the large skeleton summoned by Takiyasha daughter of Taira no Masakado in his haunted Soma Castle in front of Otake Taro Mitsukuni and his retainer, Edo (Japanese period)
No Image Available

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳

Apparition of the large skeleton summoned by Takiyasha daughter of Taira no Masakado in his haunted Soma Castle in front of Otake Taro Mitsukuni and his retainer, Edo (Japanese period)

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 (Japanese, 1798-1861
b. in Edo, Japan)
Hachi (Japanese), publisher
Takiyasha Summons a Skeleton to confront Mitsukuni in the Sōma Castle, ca. 1844
Polychrome woodblock print
Vertical ōban triptych: 37 x 74.1 cm (14 9/16 x 29 3/16 inches)
Bequest of Isaac C. Bates 13.2336

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