Super-Strange Obake Ukiyoe

Museum “Eki” Kyoto

This event has ended.

Japan found itself swept up in a boom of the occult at the end of the Edo period. Night after night, people got together for the practice of telling “100 Ghost Stories,” with interest in spirits, ghouls, and fearsome “obake” shape-shifters grew. In addition to classic ghost stories such as “Yotsuya Kaidan” and “Bancho Sarayashiki,” novels, and kabuki plays, the public also enjoyed portrayals of obake in ukiyo-e woodblock prints. This exhibition presents around 100 obake ukiyo-e by major Edo artists including Hokusai, Hiroshige, Toyokuni, Kuniyoshi, and Yoshitoshi.