Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) Title: Princess and Skeleton Size: Each Sheet Is 10.5 x 14.75. Overall: 31.5 x 14.75 Paper Type: Rice Paper Washie Medium: Japanese Woodblock Print Showa era Printed From Re-carved Woodblocks Province: Asago-Japan Format: Horizontal Triptych. Special Notes: Princess Takiyasha was the daughter of the provincial warlord Taira no Masakado who tried to set up an 'Eastern Court' in Shimōsa Province in competition with the emperor in Kyoto. However, his rebellion was put down in AD 939 and Masakado was killed. After his death, Princess Takiyasha continued living in the ruined palace of Sōma.This print shows the episode from the legend when the emperor's official, ōya no Mitsukuni, comes to search for surviving conspirators. The princess is reciting a spell written on a handscroll. She summons up a giant skeleton which comes rearing out of a terrifying black void, crashing its way through the tattered palace blinds with its bony fingers to menace Mitsukuni and his companion.Kuniyoshi, the artist, probably referred to an illustration in his collection of western prints to produce this grinning skeleton in all its accuracy of detail.

In Good Condition