Taira Koremochi Conquering the Devil Woman on Mount Togakushi (Taira no Koremochi Togakushiyama kijo taiji no zu)
- Date:
- 1887
- Medium:
- Color woodblock prints; oban diptych
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
"Taira Koremochi Conquering the Devil Woman on Mount Togakushi" (1887) depicts the tenth-century warrior Taira no Koremochi, who while on a mushroom-gathering expedition on the remote mountain encountered a beautiful woman who offered him sake. Recognizing her as a demoness through the distorted reflection in his sake cup, he slew her before she could destroy him. The mountain setting is essential to the tale—Togakushi in Nagano Prefecture was associated in medieval legend with tengu and other mountain demons, its isolation creating the perfect conditions for supernatural encounter.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Taira Koremochi Conquering the Devil Woman on Mount Togakushi (Taira no Koremochi Togakushiyama kijo taiji no zu) was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1887.
Taira Koremochi Conquering the Devil Woman on Mount Togakushi (Taira no Koremochi Togakushiyama kijo taiji no zu) depicts mythology, warriors, and mountains.