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Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre - Utagawa Kuniyoshi

€29.69


Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797–1861) c. 1844 · Woodblock triptych (two panels shown) · ink and colour on paper

One of the most dramatically charged works in the entire ukiyo-e tradition, this large-format woodblock print depicts a scene from the legend of Takiyasha-hime, the sorceress daughter of the rebel lord Taira no Masakado. On the left panel, Takiyasha kneels in the ruins of her father's palace at Sōma, reading from a scroll of dark magic; on the right, the colossal skeleton spectre — a gashadokuro, a giant ghost born from the unburied dead — rears up from the darkness to terrorise the samurai Ōya no Tarō Mitsukuni and his companion, who recoil in terror below it. The scale of the skeleton relative to the human figures is breathtaking, filling the panel from floor to ceiling and beyond, its hollow eye sockets and grinning jaw rendered with extraordinary anatomical confidence. Kuniyoshi, celebrated for his bold compositions and supernatural subjects, here achieves something genuinely cinematic — a scene of theatrical horror that feels centuries ahead of its time, and which has lost none of its power to unsettle.

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  • 100% combed ring-spun cotton
  • Charcoal Heather and Carbon Grey is 60% cotton and 40% polyester
  • Heavyweight fabric (6.5 oz)
  • Unisex sizing
  • Relaxed fit
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Quality Guarantee & Returns
  • Quality is guaranteed. If there is a print error or visible quality issue, we'll replace or refund it.
  • Because the products are made to order, we do not accept general returns or sizing-related returns.