Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre, 1844

“This striking woodblock print illustrates the story of princess Takiyasha, daughter of warlord Taira Masakado, who started a rebellion against the court in Kyoto. As the rebellion failed and Masakado subsequently killed, the ghosts of soldiers who had fallen during the rebellion haunted Masakado’s palace at Soma. This print captures the moment when Princess Takiyasha summons these ghosts with a spell from the scroll and turns them into an enormous skeleton whilst Oya Taro Mitsukuni, who is sent by the emperor to hunt down the remaining allies of Masakado, fearlessly faces down the skeleton and eventually defeats the plotters.” — collections.vam.ac.uk,

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