Utagawa Yoshifusa – The Ghost of Akungenta Taking Revenge
The Ghost of Akugenta Taking Revenge on Nanba at the Nunobiki Waterfall
Woodblock triptych by Utagawa Yoshifusa (active mid-19th century), Japan, Edo period, c. 1840s–1850s
This striking triptych by Utagawa Yoshifusa depicts the supernatural vengeance of Akugenta, a warrior who appears as a ghostly figure at the dramatic Nunobiki Waterfall. Bursting from a fiery, cloud-like apparition in the central panel, his spirit radiates energy in all directions, while terrified warriors scatter across the flanking sheets. Yoshifusa heightens the theatricality with sharp rays of light, stark contrasts of black, red, and orange, and the dynamic movement of figures caught in panic. The scene draws from Japanese folklore and kabuki theater, where tales of betrayal, revenge, and ghostly retribution were popular subjects.
Utagawa Yoshifusa, a pupil of Kunisada I, worked in the popular ukiyo-e tradition of actor prints and dramatic storytelling. This design exemplifies the vivid imagination and bold composition of the Utagawa school, where the boundary between theater and print was blurred to captivate Edo audiences.
Click on Images Below to Enlarge
Mid 19th Century
Also known as: 歌川 芳房
Utagawa Yoshifusa (歌川 芳房, active mid-19th century)
Utagawa Yoshifusa was a Japanese woodblock print designer of the late Edo period, affiliated with the influential Utagawa school. Like many artists of the school, he adopted the Utagawa surname after entering as a pupil, in his case under Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), one of the most prolific and popular ukiyo-e masters of the time. His personal art name was Yoshifusa (芳房), which identifies him within the lineage of Kunisada’s pupils who took names beginning with Yoshi-. His prints include actor portraits (yakusha-e), bijin-ga (images of beautiful women), and illustrations for books, often showing the strong stylistic influence of Kunisada.
Yoshifusa’s work contributed to the wide circulation of kabuki imagery and popular culture in the 1840s–1850s. Prints signed “Utagawa Yoshifusa ga” (drawn by Yoshifusa of the Utagawa school) survive in various museum and private collections.
On the name:
Utagawa is the art-school surname he adopted when he joined the Utagawa school.
Yoshifusa is his art name (gō), and is the part used to distinguish him from other Utagawa artists. So properly, when referring to him alone, he is called Yoshifusa.
BELOW: Back of Sheets – Click to Enlarge
