The artwork, titled “Heikea japonica, The ghost of Taira Tomomori along with the anchor he drowned with, and heikegani with faces of fallen soldiers,” created by the artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi, belongs to the Ukiyo-e art movement and is classified under the genre of mythological painting.
In this compelling piece, the artist intricately depicts the spectral form of Taira Tomomori, a warrior ghost, in conjunction with the anchor to which he was bound during his death. Surrounding him are heikegani, crab-like creatures whose shells bear the human-like faces of fallen soldiers, providing an eerie and macabre atmosphere. The composition and use of color enhance the supernatural and historical elements, typical of Kuniyoshi’s style, and evoke a powerful visual narrative that intertwines myth and history.
