** Kinugawa Yoemon and the Kasane legend, one of Japan's most famous ghost stories ** Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), signed Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga (一勇斎国芳画) Title: Poem by Harumichi no Tsuraki: Kinugawa Yoemon (春道列樹 絹川与右エ門) Date: Japan, c. 1845–48 (late Edo period) Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō (Dansendō) Carver: Hori Fusajirō (彫工房次郎) Text: Ryūkatei Tanekazu (柳下亭種員) Format: Ōban, approx. 36 × 24 cm ________________________________________________ CONDITION Strong impression with excellent colors across the sheet. The paper has a very light backing (Edo Paper). One minor repair on the left margin. Very good overall! Please check the images! ________________________________________________ THE SCENE The poem by the Heian courtier Harumichi no Tsuraki is about a river in autumn: In a mountain stream there is a wattled barrier built by the busy wind. Yet it is only maple leaves, powerless to flow away. Kuniyoshi links this river poem to the Kasane legend, which was set beside the Kinu River in Hanyū village, Shimōsa Province. The farmer Yoemon murdered his wife Kasane on the riverbank. Her vengeful spirit later returned to haunt the family and could only be put to rest by the priest Yūten. Japanese Gallery describes this design as Yoemon killing Kasane with a sickle at the Kinu River, with her basket thrown at his feet. Tanekazu's text on the sheet recounts the story of the unjust death, the restless spirit and its final release into Buddhahood. It notes that the tale was already known to everyone. The story was hugely popular in Edo. It ran through kabuki, puppet theatre and rakugo, and later inspired Sanyūtei Enchō's famous ghost tale Shinkei Kasanegafuchi. ________________________________________________ About the Taiheiki Heroes Series: The Ogura nazorae hyakunin isshu is one of the few series in which the three leading masters of the 1840s worked side by side: Kuniyoshi designed 51 sheets, Hiroshige 35 and Kunisada 14. Instead of portraying the classical poets themselves, each print pairs one of the hundred poems with a scene from history, legend or kabuki, and the viewer is invited to work out the connection, almost like a riddle. A short narrative text on each sheet tells the story behind the picture. Kuniyoshi's contributions are known for their strong figure compositions and storytelling, and each sheet joins a classical poem to a dramatic tale.