歌川国芳画　「大物の浦平家の亡霊」|Ghosts of the Taira at Daimotsu Bay

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

1843–47 · Triptych of woodblock-printed books (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper · Asian Art

The sea itself seems to convulse as an army of ghosts emerges in the distance to menace a ship full of warriors of the Minamoto clan, recalling an ancient battle. In spring of 1185, the Minamoto clan vanquished the rival Taira clan in a decisive sea battle, ushering in a period of warrior rule. Kuniyoshi describes the Taira ghosts with fluid forms in a soft palette, a contrast to the vivid colors and razor-sharp clarity of the foreground. Kuniyoshi often used silhouette—itself a symbol of evanescence—as a method of depicting such ethereal subjects as ghosts, around which developed a genre that became increasingly popular in the nineteenth century.

Artist

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Date

1843–47

Medium

Triptych of woodblock-printed books (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1929