Yoshitoshi: Priest Nichiren Praying for the Spirit of the Cormorant Fisherman

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 芳年 (1839-1892)

Title: Priest Nichiren Praying for the Restless Spirit of the Cormorant Fisherman at Iwasa River 日蓮上人 石和河にて鵜飼の迷魂を済度したまふ図  Date: 1885

The great Buddhist priest Nichiren and his attendant Nikko project peace and forgiveness as they pray for the blighted soul of the cormorant fisherman Kansaku, appearing in the form of the wretched apparition at left. Kansaku’s soul could not find rest after he had died as a result of fishing in a sacred area. The three-quarter moon, the attentive cormorants and the fire blazing against the lush river darkness combine masterfully to create the intended mood. The story of Nichiren and the cormorant fisherman is the basis of the kabuki play ‘Nichiren shonin minori  no umi” (Priest Nichiren and the waters of Dharma).

Condition: Excellent impression. Very good condition. Very good/good color.

Dimensions: ôban triptych  (36.6 x 25.2 cm, each sheet approx)
Publisher: Akiyama Takeemon
Literature: Roger Keyes, Courage and Silence, 1983, p. 458, no. 472; Shinichi Segi, Yoshitoshi the Splendid Decadent, 1985, pp. 86-87, no. 53; Eric van den Ing & Robert Schaap, Beauty and Violence, 1992, p. 69, no. 49; Akita Museum of Modern Art, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: The Last Ukiyo-e Artist of Genius, 1999, p. 27, no. 86; Ota Memorial Museum of Art, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: 120th Memorial Retrospective, 2012, p. 124, no. 183; Yuriko Iwakiri, Yoshitoshi, 2014, pp. 94-95, no. 132

Seal: Taiso  Signature: Yoshitoshi

SKU: YOT922