Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, "Ii no Hayata Killing the Nue at the Imperial Palace"

In a story relating to the 12th century Japanese emperor, a nue - a mystical blackbird with a monkey's head, badger's body, tiger's legs, and a snake for a tail - haunts the emperor's palace, causing him to become ill. One night, the warrior Minamoto no Yorimasa confronts the nue and subdues it with an arrow. His retainer, Ii no Hayata, is shown here dealing the deathblow to the nue with a dagger. The black cloud, which is emanating from the nue, envelops Hayata and powerfully frames the design. 

Series: New Forms of Thirty-Six Ghosts
Date 1889
Size: Oban
Publisher: Sasaki Toyokichi
Condition: Excellent color and condition (original album backing; light trimming)
Shown in Classic Wood, Walnut Frame

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s (1839-1892) Shinkei sanjurokkaissen (New Forms of Thirty-Six Ghosts) series of woodblock prints was the artist’s last series of works completed between 1889 and 1892 before his death. The prints from this series are exemplary of Yoshitoshi’s long interest on macabre and dark subjects, and is illustrative of his unique abilities to channel these subjects into beautifully captivating compositions. Tokaido Arts is pleased to offer a selection from one of Yoshitoshi’s most famous series of woodblock prints.