Hanga

Mythology Prints (233)

Mythological and legendary subjects in Japanese woodblock prints, featuring characters from Japanese folklore, ghost stories (kaidan), supernatural beings (yokai), and tales from classical literature like The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike.

Artists Known for Mythology

Mother West Wind by Bertha Lum

Mother West Wind

1921

Color woodcut on laid paper

Sagittarius, from the Zodiac Series, Shôwa period, circa 1973 by Akira Kurosaki

Sagittarius, from the Zodiac Series, Shôwa period, circa 1973

Woodblock print

Awabi diver, Mermaid by Hiromitsu Nakazawa

Awabi diver, Mermaid

Woodblock print

ZAO GONGEN by Kihei Sasajima

ZAO GONGEN

Woodblock print

A parody of Hanshin and Shide, two chinese monks by Komura Settai

A parody of Hanshin and Shide, two chinese monks

1941

Woodblock print

KISSHOTEN A by Kihei Sasajima

KISSHOTEN A

Woodblock print

Endo Musha Morito by Ogata Gekko

Endo Musha Morito

Woodblock print

Kaijin by Shiko Munakata

Kaijin

1937

Woodblock print

Parody of Kanzan and Jittoku by Komura Settai

Parody of Kanzan and Jittoku

1942

Color woodblock print

Page from Hagoromo (Feathered Robe), Shôwa period, circa 1984-1986 by Naoko Matsubara

Page from Hagoromo (Feathered Robe), Shôwa period, circa 1984-1986

Woodblock print

EBISU ON HORSEBACK by Tsuchiya Koitsu

EBISU ON HORSEBACK

Woodblock print

O Yuki by Bertha Lum

O Yuki

1905

Color woodcut

Koma-inu by Tomoo Inagaki

Koma-inu

Woodblock print

Shumitsu Kanja Yoshitaka  by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Shumitsu Kanja Yoshitaka

1867

Print

Döjöji by Ito Shinsui

Döjöji

Woodblock print

Taninakamura — 谷中村河童画房 by Gihachiro Okuyama

Taninakamura — 谷中村河童画房

Woodblock print

Goblins by Kawanabe Kyosai

Goblins

Before 1870

Print

Magical Palm Reading and Mole Reading by Yuji Hiratsuka

Magical Palm Reading and Mole Reading

Woodblock print

Comic One Hundred Turns of the Rosary (Dôke hyakumanben), from the series One Hundred Wildnesses by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakkyô) by Kawanabe Kyosai

Comic One Hundred Turns of the Rosary (Dôke hyakumanben), from the series One Hundred Wildnesses by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakkyô)

Woodblock print

MODORIBASHI by Takahashi Hiromitsu

MODORIBASHI

Woodblock print

Ashigara Yama by Torii Kotondo

Ashigara Yama

Not set

Woodblock print

School for Spooks (Bakebake gakkō), No. 3 from the series Drawings for Pleasure by Kyōsai (Kyōsai rakuga, dai san gō) by Kawanabe Kyosai

School for Spooks (Bakebake gakkō), No. 3 from the series Drawings for Pleasure by Kyōsai (Kyōsai rakuga, dai san gō)

1874 (Meiji 7)

Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

Kashiwade no Hatebe by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Kashiwade no Hatebe

mid 1830s

Print

Sanjō no Kokaji Munechika by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Sanjō no Kokaji Munechika

Mid-1830s

Print

Inuka Kempachi Nobumichi Directing the Attempted Arrest of Inuzuka Shino Moritaka by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Inuka Kempachi Nobumichi Directing the Attempted Arrest of Inuzuka Shino Moritaka

Woodblock print

A Tomb with Wings by Jun'ichiro Sekino

A Tomb with Wings

Woodblock print

Last Stand of Kusunoki Masatsura by Hide Kawanishi

Last Stand of Kusunoki Masatsura

Woodblock print

#14 Katsuenra Genshoshichi by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

#14 Katsuenra Genshoshichi

Woodblock print

Kotenrai Ryoshin by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Kotenrai Ryoshin

Woodblock print

Shuzenji Monogatari by Torii Kotondo

Shuzenji Monogatari

Circa 1954

Woodblock print

Nippori Hotei / Toto Shichi-fuku-juku by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Nippori Hotei / Toto Shichi-fuku-juku

Woodblock print

Musume Dojoji by Torii Kotondo

Musume Dojoji

Not set

Woodblock print

Moral Instruction — 国史美談教訓画蒐 by Torii Kotondo

Moral Instruction — 国史美談教訓画蒐

Not set

Woodblock print

Taiheiki Eiyu den by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Taiheiki Eiyu den

Woodblock print

A competition among powerful magicians by Yoshitoshi Mori

A competition among powerful magicians

Woodblock print

Page from the book Strange Tales of Matasaburō by Jun'ichiro Sekino

Page from the book Strange Tales of Matasaburō

1952

Ink on paper

Stone Image of Bishunu by Hiratsuka Un'ichi

Stone Image of Bishunu

20th century

Woodblock print

The Old Hag of the Lonely House by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

The Old Hag of the Lonely House

1872, 11th lunar month

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Parody of by Kawanabe Kyosai

Parody of

Woodblock print

Yamauba with Kintarô Holding a Toy Mask by Kitagawa Utamaro

Yamauba with Kintarô Holding a Toy Mask

Woodblock print

Takiyasha-hime by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Takiyasha-hime

1867

Print

Kurokumo Ōji  by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Kurokumo Ōji

1867

Print

Inuzuka Shino and Inukai Genpachi by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Inuzuka Shino and Inukai Genpachi

April 1873

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Konjin Chōgorō  by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Konjin Chōgorō

1866

Print

Tanabata by Bertha Lum

Tanabata

1912

Color woodcut

Kiku's Shadows by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Kiku's Shadows

1860, 7th lunar month

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Magic Carpet by Bertha Lum

Magic Carpet

1912

Color woodcut

Emperor Yurako hunting at Mount Katsuragi by Ogata Gekko

Emperor Yurako hunting at Mount Katsuragi

Woodblock print

Hotei by Ogata Gekko

Hotei

Woodblock print

Yamauba Holding Chestnuts while Kintarô Reaches for Them by Kitagawa Utamaro

Yamauba Holding Chestnuts while Kintarô Reaches for Them

Woodblock print

Taira Koremochi Conquering the Devil Woman on Mount Togakushi (Taira no Koremochi Togakushiyama kijo taiji no zu) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Taira Koremochi Conquering the Devil Woman on Mount Togakushi (Taira no Koremochi Togakushiyama kijo taiji no zu)

1887

Color woodblock prints; oban diptych

Yamauba and Kaidomaru by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Yamauba and Kaidomaru

February 1873

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Masks No. 3, Shôwa period, dated 1957 by Kinoshita Tomio

Masks No. 3, Shôwa period, dated 1957

Woodblock print

Rosei’s dream by Ogata Gekko

Rosei’s dream

Woodblock print

Harimaze by Ogata Gekko

Harimaze

Woodblock print

Hohodemi no Mikoto  by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Hohodemi no Mikoto

1867

Print

Monsters jumping out of a box scaring a man, draft for the print 'The Heavy Basket' (Omoi tsuzura) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Monsters jumping out of a box scaring a man, draft for the print 'The Heavy Basket' (Omoi tsuzura)

around 1889

Preparatory drawing for a print, ink and color on paper

Picture of the Fever of Taira no Kiyomori by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Picture of the Fever of Taira no Kiyomori

August 1883

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

The Sun Goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

The Sun Goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami

February 1882

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Complete set of the series: The Twelve Zodiac Signs with Heroes by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Complete set of the series: The Twelve Zodiac Signs with Heroes

c. 1868

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Related Subjects

Frequently Asked Questions

Mythological and legendary subjects in Japanese woodblock prints, featuring characters from Japanese folklore, ghost stories (kaidan), supernatural beings (yokai), and tales from classical literature like The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Shiko Munakata, and Hideo Hagiwara are among the artists most associated with mythology in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.

Hanga currently catalogues 233 prints tagged with mythology, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.