
Yoshitoshi was one of the last masters of ukiyo-e in the Meiji period. A pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), he also studied with Kikuchi Yōsai (1788–1878), a master of historical painting. Yoshitoshi merged the ukiyo-e style with Western realism to produce a new form of print for the modern audience. His historical and heroic prints were often bizarre and ghoulish. Here, only the eyes of the ghost shine ominously in pale blue.