Samoerai Aoyama en het spook Okiku.\ 1892

Toyohara Kunichika created the woodblock print "Samurai Aoyama en het spook Okiku" which is now held at the Rijksmuseum. Kunichika lived during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, a time of immense social and political change in Japan. In this image, Kunichika captures a scene from a popular ghost story. It shows the samurai Aoyama, the central figure, standing over the ghosts of Okiku and other figures, who appear terrified. During this time, there was a renewed interest in ghost stories and the supernatural. Such tales often provided a lens through which to explore themes of justice, revenge, and the consequences of moral transgression. The story of Okiku is a class narrative, where we see a servant who is murdered by her master and returns as a vengeful spirit. The representation of Okiku's ghost reflects a complex interplay of fear, moral retribution, and social commentary. Ultimately, the print serves as a reminder of the powerful role of storytelling in shaping cultural values and beliefs, and in expressing collective anxieties and desires.