Fifteen ghosts and a demon

The Secrets of Strategy (1853) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. “Yoshitsune with Benkei and his other retainers in their ship, beset by the ghosts of the Taira, some in the form of crabs, during a storm.”

Actually more than fifteen ghosts, and at least two demons, but you get the idea… There are many ghosts in Japanese prints, from the spectral variety which manifest in all shapes and sizes, to their theatrical equivalents in Noh and Kabuki plays. Some of the best examples are those by Hokusai and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi but since these have appeared here before I’ve gone looking for prints by other artists.

Ghost (1922–26) by Shoen Uemura.

Lady and Ghost – Edo Embroidery Pictures (1886) by Toyohara Chikanobu.

Scene from a Ghost Story: The Okazaki Cat Demon (c.1850) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

Nissaka Station from Fifty-three pairings along the Tokaido Road (c.1845) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. “Moonlit scene of a travelling warrior receiving a child from a ghost.”

The Sea Monk from 53 Stations of the Tokaido (1843) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. “The apparition of the ‘Sea Priest’, Umi Bozo, towering above Kumanaya Tokuzo in his ship.”

Kumadori Makeups in Kabuki: Ghost of Tomomori (1870–80) by Hasegawa Konobu.

During the Visit of Kiyomori to the Nunobiki Waterfall, the Ghost of Akugenda Yoshihira Strikes Down Nanba Jirô (1825) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

Onoe Matsusuke as the Ghost of the Murdered Wife Oiwa, in “A Tale of Horror from the Yotsuya Station on the Tokaido Road” (1812) by Utagawa Toyokuni I.

The poet Dainagon Tsunenobu visited by a ghost reciting a Chinese poem (1840) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

Hosokute Station from Sixty-Nine Post Stations of the Kisokaido (1852) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. “Horikoshi Masatomo (the historical Hotta Masanobu) tormented on his sickbed by ghosts.”