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Ushi-no-toki mairi|Woman in the Rain at Midnight Driving a Nail into a Tree to Invoke Evil on Her Unfaithful Lover

Totoya Hokkei

1850

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Rain

Dominant colour

Ushi-no-toki mairi|Woman in the Rain at Midnight Driving a Nail into a Tree to Invoke Evil on Her Unfaithful Lover is a 1850 ink by Totoya Hokkei, a Romanticism work, depicting Rain, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Totoya Hokkei
When & what style?: 1850 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows a woman in a flowing white robe with red and blue accents, standing in heavy rain. She’s holding a hammer and driving a nail into a tree trunk. Her hair is loose, and she looks focused, almost angry. The background is dark with slanted rain lines, and there’s Japanese text along the sides. The scene feels intense—she’s not just standing in the rain, she’s doing something deliberate. The text suggests this is a story, maybe even a curse. If you like this dramatic scene, look into cross-hatching to see how artists create texture with lines.