Female Samurai Ghost
by Shima Seien
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
by Shima Seien
$500–$5,000. Common subjects: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Shima Seien's work is less well-known internationally, making her prints relatively affordable. Quality examples are collectible.
A female figure in samurai attire appears as a spectral presence in this [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock print, merging the warrior tradition with the supernatural. Female ghost warriors in Japanese art and theater often represent women who died with unresolved grievances or unfulfilled martial obligations, returning from death in armor to complete what life denied them. Seien renders the figure with a translucent quality or pallid coloring that signals her ghostly nature, while the armor and weapons confirm her warrior identity. The combination of [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) refinement with martial imagery and supernatural atmosphere creates a visually striking hybrid, where beauty, violence, and the uncanny occupy the same figure.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Female Samurai Ghost was created by Shima Seien (島成園).
Female Samurai Ghost depicts mythology and warriors.
