Asahina (Kyogen), from the series "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)"

Asahina is a Kyōgen — the comic theatrical form that traditionally accompanies Noh in a full performance day — featuring the legendary warrior Asahina Saburō Yoshihide, son of Wada Yoshimori, who appears in this play in his capacity as a fearsome ghost of the warrior class. In one version of the Kyōgen, Asahina's spirit arrives at the gates of hell only to overwhelm and humiliate Emma, the king of hell, who finds himself unable to drag the warrior to his judgment. The play's comedy turns on the inversion of the demon-fears-warrior dynamic. Tsukioka Kōgyo's inclusion of Asahina in Nōgaku Zue (Pictures of Noh Performances) reflects the series' commitment to documenting the Kyōgen repertoire alongside Noh proper. Published by Matsuki Heikichi circa 1898 and held by the Art Institute of Chicago, this Meiji-era color woodblock print exemplifies the documentary scope that distinguished Kōgyo's project from earlier ukiyo-e theatrical prints.