Kiyomori’s Visit to Nunobiki Waterfall: The Ghost of Yoshihira Taking Revenge on Nanba - Utagawa Yoshifusa

A dramatic woodblock triptych by Utagawa Yoshifusa depicting the vengeful ghost of Minamoto no Yoshihira striking down a retainer with lightning.

This woodblock print by Utagawa Yoshifusa depicts a dramatic scene from Japanese folklore, specifically the confrontation between the powerful Taira no Kiyomori and the vengeful spirit of Minamoto no Yoshihira. The narrative centres on the supernatural retribution exacted upon Nanba, a retainer of Kiyomori, at the Nunobiki Waterfall.

The composition is a triptych, a format frequently employed in the mid-nineteenth century to accommodate large-scale, action-oriented subjects. Yoshifusa utilises a dark, atmospheric background to contrast with the explosive, golden light emanating from the spectral figure of Yoshihira. The ghost appears as a warrior descending from the heavens, wreathed in flames, striking down his target with a bolt of lightning. The figures below are rendered in states of panic and shock, their postures conveying the sudden violence of the encounter.

Technically, the print demonstrates the conventions of the Utagawa school, with bold outlines and a clear separation of foreground and background elements. The use of colour is restrained, relying on the interplay between the deep, dark tones of the night sky and the bright, warm hues of the fire and lightning. This creates a sense of immediate, kinetic energy. The print serves as a visual record of the popular interest in ghost stories and historical legends that permeated the Edo period. By focusing on the moment of supernatural intervention, the artist captures the tension between mortal authority and the forces of the afterlife. The work is a characteristic example of the musha-e, or warrior print, genre, which remained popular among the urban population of Japan during the final decades of the shogunate.