Yoshitoshi, Demon Disguised as an Old Woman Retrieving Her Severed Arm

Notes: Elaborate embossing throughout clothes. One night, Watanabe slashed off the arm of the demon Ibaraki. Disguised as his old aunt, she tricked him into showing it and quickly flew off holding her severed limb. Ghosts stories were popular in Japan. People liked to gather by candlelight and tell scary tales. When a legend was finished, one candle was blown out and the next person began. When Yoshitoshi created 100 ghosts’ stories, he used this tradition. Twenty-six selected designs and a title page were published in 1865. First editions sold out immediately, because Yoshitoshi had become a famous artist by the end of his career. The new forms of 36 ghosts were Yoshitoshi’s last important series. The woodblocks were made after Japanese and Chinese stories. Many pupils assisted him during the complicated preparation. Circa twelve blocks were carved per design and separately used for each color or special effect. The prints were published from 1889 until 1892.