Original Japanese woodblock print – Utagawa Kuniyoshi – Sayo no Nakayama yonaki-ishi – The 53 Parallels for the Tōkaidō – Edo 1843-45

Print type: Fantastic Ukiyo-e – yūrei-e, print dedicated to a ghost and a famous Japanese supernatural legend.

Technique: Polychrome woodblock print nishiki-e 錦絵

Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 Signed Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga 一勇斎国芳画

📅 Publication date: circa 1843–1845, Edo period

Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō 伊場屋仙三郎 Dansendō.

Censor's seal: Nanushi Murata Heiemon 村田平右衛門.

Format: Ōban tate-e 大判竪絵, large vertical format. Approximately 36 × 24.5 cm.

Origin: Japan, found in Kanagawa Prefecture

Series: 東海道五十三対 – Tōkaidō gojūsan tsui. “The Fifty-three Pairings of the Tōkaidō”

This series was created jointly by three great masters of the Utagawa school: Hiroshige, Kunisada, and Kuniyoshi. Each print associates a stage of the famous Tōkaidō road with a legend, a historical account, a literary anecdote, or a local tradition.

Title: 日坂 — Nissaka, 小夜の中山夜啼石 — Sayo no Nakayama yonaki-ishi

“Nissaka Station, The Night-Weeping Stone of Sayo no Nakayama”

About Utagawa Kuniyoshi:

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1797–1861, was one of the most inventive artists of the late Edo period. A major member of the Utagawa school, he excelled in warrior prints, historical narratives, kabuki actors, humorous animals, and, above all, fantastic subjects.

His depictions of specters are distinguished by their great graphic power: fluid forms, dematerialized silhouettes, pale bodies, and striking contrasts between the living and the dead. He is now one of the most popular ukiyo-e artists. His fantastic prints are highly sought after.

Subject:

This print illustrates the legend of the Yonaki-ishi 夜啼石, or "Night-Weeping Stone". Nissaka was located on a particularly steep and formerly dangerous section of the Tōkaidō, known for its wooded passages and the presence of bandits.

The printed text on the print explains the legend:

"Once upon a time, in this post town, lived a pregnant woman, wife of a certain rōnin. Her husband had gone to Azuma, in the eastern provinces, to fulfill his duty of loyalty, and she awaited his return.

One night, in the pine forest of Kutsukake, at Sayo no Nakayama, a brigand appeared. He pursued her with his desire, and as she would not yield, he killed her with a sword stroke, then disappeared without anyone knowing where he had gone.

Kannon, whom this woman prayed to every day, appeared in the form of a monk. She gave a sweet candy to the infant the deceased was carrying and ensured that the child survived.

The husband knew nothing of these events. But, after having a fateful dream, he hastened to return home. On the way, he heard the story of the Night-Weeping Stone, which further increased his anxiety.

As night fell, he passed by the stone, in the pine forest of Kutsukake. The ghost of his wife appeared to him, recounted in detail everything that had happened, and handed him the infant she was carrying.

From then on, her soul remained attached to him, until he finally avenged her death."

Condition:

Very good general condition, colors very well preserved. Some wormholes mainly in the text at the top left.

This print brings together everything that makes the strength of a fantastic Kuniyoshi: a famous Tōkaidō legend, a spectral apparition, a masterful nocturnal composition, and an emotion-laden narrative.

We love the staging by the genius Kuniyoshi! The atmosphere is superb with the moon suspended between the pines and the rōnin holding the infant. Obviously, a big crush on the ghost!

A major piece for a collector of Kuniyoshi, ukiyo-e, Japanese yūrei, or Edo period fantastic art!