Yokai Night · Hanging scroll · Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, c. 1892
The Spirit of Yūgao
A ghost from The Tale of Genji, among moonflowers.
The Work
On a moonlit night, a woman's spirit appears among moonflower vines — a hanging scroll Yoshitoshi based on his own print.
Look Closer
It is less frightening than fragile. The pale moon and white blossoms carry a quiet sorrow.
The Artist
Born in 1839, Yoshitoshi joined Kuniyoshi's studio as a boy. Known early for violent scenes, he made serene masterpieces late in life.
His Moon Series
One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (1885–92), 100 prints, was his late masterpiece. He is often called the last great master of ukiyo-e.
The Story
The story comes from The Tale of Genji: Yūgao, loved by Prince Genji, is seized by a spirit one night and dies.
Culture & Values
The moonflower opens at dusk and fades by morning — long a symbol of fleeting life in Japanese poetry.
Meanwhile, in the World
Around the same time in France, Monet was painting the same scenes again and again in changing light.
Afterward
Yoshitoshi died in 1892; this scroll is dated to around that year, so it may come from the very end of his life.
Listen while you look
This work stays on screen for about ten minutes in the full hour of Yokai Night, with Yugao Under The Moon and Moonflower And The Veil.
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