The Ghost of Okiku
Object Details
- Artist
- Toyohara Kunichika 豊原国周 (1835-1900)
- Block carver
- Umezawa Minokichi 梅沢已之吉 (act. ca. 1880–1922)
- Publisher
- Fukuda Kumajiro 福田熊治良 (active ca. 1874-1898)
- Label
- Several kabuki plays relate the tragic story of the maid Okiku and her cruel samurai master, Aoyama Tessan. Tessan propositions Okiku for sex, but when she refuses, he accuses her of stealing a priceless heirloom. He offers his forgiveness if she will sleep with him, but Okiku instead chooses to throw herself down a well and dies. It was believed that a sudden gust of wind accompanied the appearance of a ghost, and this was achieved onstage by using a prop umbrella that could turn inside out. Flanked by his retainers, Tessan grips the umbrella as the terrifying form of Okiku emerges from above. Each night she rises from the well, letting out a wail that drives Tessan insane.
- Collection
- National Museum of Asian Art Collection
- Exhibition History
- Staging the Supernatural: Ghosts and the Theater in Japanese Prints (March 23 to October 6, 2024)
- Masters of Mercy: Buddha's Amazing Disciples (March 10 to July 8, 2012)
- Dream Worlds: Modern Japanese Prints and Paintings from the Robert O. Muller Collection (November 06, 2004 to January 7, 2007)
- Credit Line
- Robert O. Muller Collection
- 1892
- Period
- Meiji era
- Accession Number
- S2003.8.2750
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Medium
- Ink and color on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (image): 108.6 x 24.4 cm (42 3/4 x 9 5/8 in)
- Origin
- Japan
- Related Online Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Topic
- Meiji era (1868 - 1912)
- theater
- kabuki
- ghost
- Japan
- Japanese Art
- Robert O. Muller collection
- triptych
- Record ID
- fsg_S2003.8.2750
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Usage conditions apply
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3de574a84-31dc-4390-9bc1-fd4854e0a5f3
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