The Spirit of the Deceased Yūgao Entwined in Moonflower Vines, based on the print “The Lady of the Evening Faces,” from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi: Genji Yūgao no maki)

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

As witnessed in works by other late Edo-period artists like Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), a fascination with memorializing scenes from Japanese literature that capture elements of the supernatural and macabre flourished in the late 1800s. Though Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was a pupil of Kuniyoshi, he was influenced by the modernization of Japan and modern media, and sometimes produced violent and disturbing images. Ultimately, however, he became nostalgic for the disappearing traditional culture and ukiyo-e style. In this painting, the semitransparent spirit of the deceased Yūgao is wraithlike and blue-lipped in the moonlight, with “evening faces” moonflower vines encircling her.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art