The Ghost of Okiku
Artist/Culture
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡 芳年
(Japanese, 1839–1892)
DateAugust 1890
Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper; oban
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineHarriet B. Bancroft Fund
Object number2003.32
DescriptionSarayashiki means “Plate Mansion” and refers to a well-known ghost story. A young servant girl, Okiku, is falsely accused of breaking one of her lord’s dishes, a precious piece from a set of ten imported Dutch plates. As punishment, she is thrown to her death into the garden well. As a ghost she rises each night to count the number of dishes, releasing a blood-curdling scream after she reaches number nine. Ghost stories were traditionally told in summer––the chill of fear they provoked providing welcome relief in the humid evenings.Label TextSarayashiki means “Plate Mansion” and refers to a well-known ghost story. A young servant girl, Okiku, is falsely accused of breaking one of her lord’s dishes, a precious piece from a set of ten imported Dutch plates. As punishment, she is thrown to her death into the garden well. As a ghost she rises each night to count the number of dishes, releasing a blood-curdling scream after she reaches number nine. Ghost stories were traditionally told in summer––the chill of fear they provoked providing welcome relief in the humid evenings.
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