317 - Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861)

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (a series created in collaboration with Hiroshige, Kunisada, and Kuniyoshi) Station No. 25: Nissaka—The Ghost of the Rock That Weeps at Night A pregnant woman traveling at night was attacked and murdered by bandits at the Nissaka Pass. Her blood flowed onto a large, flat rock. Her spirit merged with the rock, which began to weep every night to attract the attention of passersby so they might save her baby, who was miraculously born after her death. A Buddhist monk from a nearby temple, drawn by the cries, took in the child and raised him. The upper cartouche, shaped like an orange peach or a stylized gourd, is decorated in the background with ginger leaves (myoga) and contains text detailing the mother’s tragic fate and the miracle of the life-saving stone. Woodblock print Signed: “Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi” on the print in the upper right corner Period: Edo (1845/46 (Koka 2–3)) Seal: round nanushi Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburo (Dansendo) Format: Oban tate-e Fresh colors. Binding holes in the right margin. Loss in the top margin. Left margin trimmed. Slight soiling.