The Ghost of Oyuki
Encyclopedia
The Ghost of Oyuki is a painting of a female yūrei
, (a traditional Japan
ese ghost
), by Maruyama Okyo
(1733-1795), founder of the Maruyama-Shijô school of painting.
According to an inscription on the painting, Okyo had a mistress in the Tominaga Geisha house
. She died young and Okyo mourned her passing. One night her spirit
came to him in a dream
, and unable to get her image out of his head he painted this portrait. This is one of the earliest paintings of a yūrei
(ghost) with the basic late-Edo period
ghost characteristics: disheveled hair, white or pale blue robe, limp hands, nearly transparent, lack of lower body.
Yurei
are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 , meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 , meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 or お化け...
, (a traditional Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
), by Maruyama Okyo
Maruyama Okyo
, born Maruyama Masataka, was a Japanese artist active in the late 18th century. He moved to Kyoto, during which he studied artworks from Chinese, Japanese and Western sources. A personal style of Western naturalism mixed with Eastern decorative design emerged, and Ōkyo founded the Maruyama school...
(1733-1795), founder of the Maruyama-Shijô school of painting.
According to an inscription on the painting, Okyo had a mistress in the Tominaga Geisha house
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
. She died young and Okyo mourned her passing. One night her spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
came to him in a dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
, and unable to get her image out of his head he painted this portrait. This is one of the earliest paintings of a yūrei
Yurei
are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 , meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 , meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 or お化け...
(ghost) with the basic late-Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
ghost characteristics: disheveled hair, white or pale blue robe, limp hands, nearly transparent, lack of lower body.