Art Resource - ART211457

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A female ghost, Meiji era, Japan, c1871-c1889. She shrieks in triumph as she bears off the severed head. Cutting off a defeated enemy's head was the ultimate sign of victory in battle, but here, she even has blood dripping from her gaping fangs, suggesting she has actually bitten off this head. The ghost glides upwards on wisps of cloud in her shroud-like gown, tearing at her hair and glaring from her green, gold-hooded eyes. This painting demonstrates the artist's fascination with the macabre and the supernatural. This tendency was to a large degree shared by the nineteenth-century Japanese public. Many Kabuki plays of the time were peopled with restless spirits of the dead and live ghost story-telling was particularly popular at the height of summer when a cooling shiver down the spine would have been most welcome. JA, JP ADD1096 (1996.10-10.01).

Location British Museum/London/Great Britain

Unique Identifier ART211457

Type Image

Purpose Public

Size 2147px × 4000px

Photo Credit Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY

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