280 - TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI: TRIPTYCH OF IWAMI JUTARO SEES A MONSTER

TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI: TRIPTYCH OF IWAMI JUTARO SEES A MONSTER By Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), signed Ikkaisai Yoshitoshi ga Japan, dated June 1865 Color woodblock print on paper. Oban triptych. Signed Ikkiaisai Yoshitoshi ga, censor’s seal aratame; publisher: Fukushimaya Tashichi (Senkindo) with seal to the lower left. Title Iwami Jutaro Kai no ukagau (Iwami Jutaro sees a monster) Depicting the legendary hero Iwami Jutaro entering a dense, shadowy forest to rescue a young maiden offered as an annual sacrifice to a monstrous Hihi. At the right, Jutaro advances cautiously through the trees, one hand gripping his sword, while the central and left sheets reveal the terrifying creature surrounded by grotesque attendants and supernatural beings, the captive maiden lying within the makeshift shrine behind them. SIZE of the sheet ca. 35 x 24.8 cm, SIZE incl. mounting ca. 52.5 x 41.5 cm (each) Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and good colors. Few stains, creasing mainly to the outer margins. Each sheet mounted onto a carton at the corners, presented in a passepartout. The present print illustrates the legend of the warrior Iwami Jutaro, who encounters a village where a young woman is to be sacrificed to a supposed mountain deity. Refusing to accept the custom, Jutaro lies in wait and discovers that the “god” is in fact a monstrous hihi, a giant supernatural ape descending from the mountain to claim its victim. Yoshitoshi captures the tense moment before the confrontation, with the white-haired creature emerging from the darkness amid grotesque attendants and eerie forest forms. Combining horror with touches of dark humor, the composition is a striking example of Yoshitoshi’s early fascination with supernatural subjects. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) was one of the leading woodblock print artists during the Meiji era (1868-1912) and one of the last to work in the traditional ukiyo-e manner. Born in Edo (present-day Tokyo), he showed a strong interest in classical Japanese literature and history. When he was eleven, he became a student at Kuniyoshi Utagawa’s studio. Under his teacher’s guidance, he showed exquisite draftsmanship skills and learned how to draw from life, something not necessarily part of the training of schools of painting and illustration in Japan. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related triptych by the same artist in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 2017.106.65a-c.