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Mitsukuni Defying the Skeleton-Spectre

Artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797–1861)
Title Mitsukuni Defying the Skeleton-Spectre
Date Ca. 1845
Medium Color woodblock print on paper
Dimensions Overall: 29 1/4 x 14 in. (74.3 x 35.6 cm)
Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 68.63

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About this Work

Based on a novel published in 1806 that was in turn based in the events of the rebellions of the late tenth century, Kuniyoshi has depicted the dramatic moment when Takiyashi, left, using the power of magic spells summons a fearsome skeleton to attack her rival Mitsukuni, holding the sword in the center. These fantastical stories were adapted for the Kabuki theater and illustrated by woodblock print artists and there was none better than Kuniyoshi in depicting the macabre.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

Publisher Yahata-ya Sakujiro

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"Mitsukuni Defying the Skeleton-Spectre | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=68.63