Oiwa (Oiwa-san), from the series "One Hundred Ghost Tales (Hyaku monogatari)"
1831-32
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
25.6 × 16.1 cm (10 1/16 × 6 5/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
47403
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This pale-skinned head emerging from a worn paper lantern is a depiction of Oiwa, a character from Yotsuya Kaidan, a famous Japanese ghost play (kaidan mono). In the story Oume, a woman who wants to steal Oiwa’s husband, sends her a topical poison disguised as a face cream. The poison immediately scars Oiwa, and her eye begins to droop, as seen in the center of the image here. When she realizes the deception, Oiwa becomes hysterical and accidentally kills herself. After her death, she seeks reve...
About the Artist
Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...