Laughing Demoness (Warai Hannya)

Artist Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (Japanese, 1760–1849)

Dateabout 1831–32

Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper

DimensionsVertical chūban: 26.3 x 18.7 cm (10 3/8 x 7 3/8 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection

Terms

Japanese Print

Object number1901.742

Label TextLaughing Demoness is from Hokusai’s acclaimed series One Hundred Ghost Tales, which he designed later at the end of his career. It depicts a Hannya, a violent horned demon believed to appear when a woman was overcome by jealousy or rejection. In order to heighten the macabre overtones of the subject, Hokusai cleverly synthesized the lurid red skin and contorted expression associated with Hannya-character masks from Noh theatre with the filthy hair and clothes associated with another supernatural, infant-eating crone known as yamauba. This print is an exemplar of the Yūrei-zu genre of Japanese prints, characterized by portrayals of the paranormal or haunting interpretations of traditional folklore, which were enthusiastically consumed by urban audiences throughout the 19th century.

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