The Old Hag of the Lonely House
- Date:
- 1872, 11th lunar month
- Medium:
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 34.5 × 23 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
"The Old Hag of the Lonely House" (1872) depicts one of Japanese folklore's most terrifying figures: an elderly woman who lived alone at a desolate inn and murdered travelers in the night, her isolated dwelling becoming a byword for supernatural danger and human predation. The tale was preserved in the Konjaku Monogatari and dramatized in numerous kabuki plays. Yoshitoshi renders the hag with unsettling specificity—the ordinary domestic setting of an old woman at her solitary home made monstrous by the knowledge of her crimes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Old Hag of the Lonely House was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1872, 11th lunar month.
The Old Hag of the Lonely House depicts figures, mythology, and night scenes.
The Old Hag of the Lonely House measures 34.5 × 23 cm (Oban format).