Ukiyoe works 3 Monster pictures

"昔ばなしの戯猫又年とへて古寺に怪をなす図"
Folktale Picture of an Old Cat Appearing in an Old Temple

Kuniyoshi's powerful works depict battles between monsters and military commanders.
During the Edo period, Kabuki in which monster cats appeared, called ”nekosodomono'' became popular, and various devices were used on stage to express strange phenomena, and in scenes where monster cats revealed their true nature, oil from lanterns was used. A silhouette gimmick of a cat licking is also included as standard. "Folktale Picture of an Old Cat Appearing in an Old Temple'' is a powerful work that depicts exactly that scene. The true nature of the monster cat is dynamically expressed through a bold technique that connects three pictures.

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"道外化けもの夕涼み" Monster's Cool evening breeze

Ghost stories were popular in the Edo period, and ukiyo-e paintings with fear as a theme were created. Kuniyoshi also depicts ghosts and monsters, and his unique ideas shine through there as well. ”Monster's Cool evening breeze'' is a work depicting monsters enjoying a summer evening. The interesting idea of animals becoming monsters is filled with the charm of Kuniyoshi, who loves animals. This work is filled with Kuniyoshi's humorous ideas down to the smallest detail.

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"化物忠臣蔵" Monster's CHUSHINGURA

Many stage play pictures, actor's pictures, and ukiyo-e were produced using the Kabuki play "CHUSHINGURA 忠臣蔵(Forty-seven Ronin)", which was very popular in Edo, as the theme. Kuniyoshi has also drawn works based on CHUSHINGURA, but in this work the characters from CHUSHINGURA are depicted as monsters. This "Monster's CHUSHINGURA" is a trilogy that includes all 12 stages of the Chushingura, and is a work that can be enjoyed like a manga. The bright colors, comical and clear descriptions, and humorous tales of monsters are full of Kuniyoshi's unique playfulness.