The Mansion of the Plates (Sara yashiki), from the series "One Hundred Ghost Tales (Hyaku monogatari)"
This print illustrates the legend of a woman murdered by her husband because she accidentally broke plates. Her corpse and the pieces of the dishes were thrown into a well, but her ghost returned every night to haunt him in the eerie form seen here. This small-format work features a bright blue color that may seem cheery to us, but Hokusai’s original audience would have associated it with death and the occult.
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Dimensions
- 25.5 × 18.6 cm (10 1/16 × 7 3/8 in.)
- Origin
- Japan
- Department
- Arts of Asia
- Holding institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image provider
- art-institute-chicago
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Clarence Buckingham Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Subject Matter
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Mysticism, Shamanism, and the Occult Both · 97%
The image visibly presents a supernatural apparition, while the catalog identifies the work as part of One Hundred Ghost Tales and notes the original audience’s association of its blue hue with death and the occult.
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Narrative Both · 96%
The composition stages a recognizable episode involving a ghost above a well, and the catalog identifies the underlying legend and haunting narrative.
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The Fantastic Both · 92%
The pale elongated apparition, transformation of a human figure into a ghost, and uncanny setting support the catalog’s ghost-tale context and the subject category of the fantastic.
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Mortality Metadata · 90%
The supplied catalog description centers on murder, a corpse, and a haunting associated with death.
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Flora Visual · 99%
Leafy vegetation and vine-like forms visibly frame the well and extend across the lower portion of the composition.
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Text Visual · 99%
A small cartouche containing Japanese characters is visibly positioned in the upper-left corner.
Visual Qualities
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Dark Colors Visual · 98%
Deep blue, black, cream, muted green, and reddish-brown dominate the composition, creating a dark nocturnal effect.
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Linear Forms Visual · 95%
Fine repeated lines define the hair, patterned garment, well structure, foliage, and curling wisp, making linear mark-making a prominent feature.
Medium and Techniques
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Prints Metadata · 99%
The museum classifies the work as a print and identifies the medium as a color woodblock print in chuban format.
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Woodcut and Linocut Metadata · 98%
The catalog explicitly identifies the work as a woodblock print; the carved linear contours and flat color fields are also visible in the image.
Time Periods
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19th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated 1831–32, placing it in the nineteenth century.
Geographic Regions
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Japanese Art Metadata · 99%
The artist is identified as Japanese, and the place of origin is Japan.
Source & rights
Katsushika Hokusai. The Mansion of the Plates (Sara yashiki), from the series "One Hundred Ghost Tales (Hyaku monogatari)". The Art Institute of Chicago.