| Technique Color woodblock print (nishiki-e) | |
| Dimensionsh 17,5 × w 25,5 cm | |
| Short item description Hokusai Manga, Volume 10, Japan, 19th century (Edo period) This fascinating illustrated two-page spread originates from Volume 10 of the renowned 15-volume Hokusai Manga series. The left page captures one of Japan's most famous ghost stories, the tale of Okiku and the Nine Plates (usually told as the Bancho Sarayashiki). The dark tale centers on an innocent maid, Okiku, who accidentally breaks one of the ten heirloom plates of the family she serves. In his wrath, the master of the house has Okiku thrown down a well, where she dies. Every night, her ghost rises from the well to count the plates, shrieking horrifically when she reaches number nine. Hokusai illustrates a specific variation of this legend here: the Buddhist monk Mikazuki Jyounin hides nearby, and as Okiku reaches the final ninth plate, the monk shouts "ten!". Satisfied that her count is finally finished, Okiku dissipates to the afterlife. |
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From Hokusai and Hiroshige through Kunisada to Koson – 92 catalogue lots containing over 100 original woodblock prints.
