Ghosts of the Taira at Daimotsu Bay
Utagawa Kuniyoshi Japanese
Not on view
The sea itself seems to convulse as an army of ghosts emerges in the distance to menace a ship full of warriors of the Minamoto clan, recalling an ancient battle. In the spring of 1185, the Minamoto clan vanquished the rival Taira clan in a decisive clash at sea, ushering in a period of warrior rule. Kuniyoshi describes the Taira apparitions with fluid forms in a soft palette, a contrast to the vivid colors and razor-sharp clarity of the foreground. Kuniyoshi often used silhouette—itself a symbol of evanescence—as a method of depicting ethereal subjects such as ghosts, around which developed a genre that became increasingly popular in the nineteenth century.
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