Onoe Kikugoro III as Ghost of Oiwa

Shunkōsai Hokushū, artist

active circa 1802–1832

Onoe Kikugoro III as Ghost of Oiwa, 1826, 1st month, Edo period (1600–1868)

Portfolio/Series title: (Ghost Series)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: color woodcut

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 373 x 171 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 14 11/16 x 6 3/4 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 373 x 171 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 14 11/16 x 6 3/4 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 1928.7857

Not on display

Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

Archive Label date unknown:
The tragic story of Oiwa, incorporated into a well-kown kabuki play, concerns a woman who was betrayed by her husband. Iyemon, after killing Oiwa's father because of his knowledge of Iyemon's evil past, is tempted by the granddaughter of a wealthy neighbor. The neighbor persuades Iyemon to poison Oiwa. The "medicine" does not kill her, however, but horribly disfigures her. Overcome by the treachery of her husband and her hideous appearance, Oiwa dies of resentment and anger. Hokushu's print was published the same year as the play opened in Osaka. Oiwa is recognizable by her partial baldness and swollen eye. The darkness of the background reinforces the blackness of her fate.