Monster Scroll (2 of 2 scrolls)

Artist Japanese (Japanese, NA)

CultureJapanese

MediumInk and colors on paper

DimensionsOverall (Open): 12 1/2 × 306 1/2 in. (31.8 × 778.5 cm)
Image: 10 3/4 × 292 1/2 in. (27.3 × 743 cm)

Credit LinePurchase, Betsy Mudge Wilson, class of 1956, Memorial Fund

Period18th / 19th c (Edo Period)

Classification(s)

Painting

Label TextThroughout Japan's Edo period (1603-1867), scholars and artists compiled encyclopedias of the known world, providing illustrated catalogs for plants, animals, histories, and other subjects. There was also an impulse to assign form to that which was not visible; specifically, entities known as yokai, which can be translated as monster, ghost, specter, or spirit. Also referred to as bakemono, or shape shifters, these entities were thought to have the capacity to cause problems ranging from mischief to murder. Sudden misfortunes such as natural disasters and diseases were often attributed to yokai, and in tandem with the Edo era urge to categorize phenomena, artists created extensive, labeled catalogs of the invisible figures believed responsible. These unusual, even slightly comical, appearances of the figures offered viewers with an avenue to visualize the yokai, and perhaps take away some of their perceived power.

Terms

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