Open daily. Always free.
The Ghost of Asakura Togo

The Ghost of Asakura Togo

On View

Not currently on view

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

As civil unrest and oppression grew in Japan during the nineteenth century, the public identified with stories involving clearly defined villains and heroes. Revenge-seeking ghosts became a major theme in kabuki and ukiyo-e. The scene in this print was taken from a kabuki play based on a historical event, with the names, locations, and time period changed to elude censorship. In the play The Tale of the Martyr of Sakura peasants are subjected to increasingly heavy taxation by their feudal lord. The village leader, Asakura Togo, travels to Edo to petition the shogun directly, knowing that it is strictly prohibited. As punishment, he and his wife are forced to witness the beheading of their three sons, after which they themselves are crucified. Here, Togo’s bloodied ghost seeks revenge on the executioner. As the two prepare to face off, the larger figure begins to draw his sword in a useless attempt to protect himself from the approaching ghost.
Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
(Japanese, 1798 - 1861)
Title
The Ghost of Asakura Togo
Date
ca. 1850
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
361 x 247 mm Overall
Credit
Bequest of John H. Van Vleck
Accession No.
1980.2681
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

1937, purchased from Yamanaka (New York, NY) by Edward Burr Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 1943, passed through inheritance to Edward’s son, John H. Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 9 January 1980, bequeathed by John H. Van Vleck to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Mueller, Laura. "Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School." Leiden, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2007. p. 141, no. 120
  • Addiss, Stephen, Ed. "Japanese Ghosts & Demons: Art of the Supernatural." New York: George Braziller, Inc., 1985. p. 53

  • Kabuki: The Drama of Japanese Prints: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 4/19/2003–6/22/2003
  • Japanese Ghosts and Demons: Art of the Supernatural: Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, 6/13/1985–9/14/1986
  • Calm Lives, Exuberant Pleasures : Outstanding Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Van Vleck Collection: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 3/31/1984–4/15/1984

The Chazen Museum of Art welcomes comments or inquiries about works in our collection. Please allow two–three weeks for a response. Chazen staff is not able to provide valuations or authentications and such inquiries cannot be answered.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.