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「お岩霊　市川米蔵」 (四代)|Ichikawa Yonezō as the Ghost of Oiwa

Enjaku 猿雀

1865

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Actor

Dominant colour

「お岩霊　市川米蔵」 (四代)|Ichikawa Yonezō as the Ghost of Oiwa is a 1865 ink by Enjaku 猿雀, a Impressionism work, depicting Actor, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Enjaku 猿雀
When & what style?: 1865 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows a ghostly woman with pale skin and dark, wavy hair. She’s floating mid-air, wearing a loose, flowing robe in shades of gray and white. Her face looks sad, with one hand reaching out and the other holding a red cloth wrapped around something small and dark. The background is mostly black, with a faint greenish glow at the bottom and a small flame flickering in the top corner. The red cloth might be hiding a severed head, a common theme in old Japanese stories. This kind of dramatic, ghostly scene was popular in woodblock prints back then. Look up actor next to see how performers like Ichikawa Yonezō inspired these haunting images.