The Ibaraki Demon, by artist Shibata Zeshin, 1882, Japan. “ Watanabe no Tsuna, o
The Ibaraki Demon, by artist Shibata Zeshin, 1882, Japan. “ Watanabe no Tsuna, one of the most famous samurai in Japanese lore, confronted the female demon Ibaraki at the Ichijô Modoribashi bridge, which sits at the border between this world and the next. He succeeded only in cutting off her forearm, which he locked away in a chest. At night the demon returned, disguised as Tsuna’s aunt, and begged her "nephew” to show off the gruesome loot. When he opened the chest, she snatched back her arm, revealed her true identity, and rushed away. The story became a favorite subject for the multitalented lacquer artist and painter Shibata Zeshin in the late nineteenth century, when musha-e (warrior pictures) became explosively popular. " words and image MET Museum (Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation). -- source link
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