Picture of Shōki Capturing a Demon in the Dream
- Date:
- 1890
- Medium:
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 35.7 × 24.1 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
"Picture of Shōki Capturing a Demon in the Dream" (1890) depicts the Chinese demon queller Shōki (Zhong Kui), the Tang dynasty scholar who became a ghost-catcher after his suicide, in the act of seizing a demon within a dreamscape. Shōki was one of the most popular supernatural protector figures in Japanese popular art, associated with the Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku) and with protection against illness and evil spirits. Yoshitoshi's late treatment of the subject invests the traditional composition with the oneiric atmosphere characteristic of his mature supernatural imagery.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Picture of Shōki Capturing a Demon in the Dream was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1890.
Picture of Shōki Capturing a Demon in the Dream depicts mythology.
Picture of Shōki Capturing a Demon in the Dream measures 35.7 × 24.1 cm (Oban format).