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Lot details By Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), signed Yoshitoshi with seal Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912) Woodblock print, ink and color on paper. Minamoto no Yorimitsu Cuts at the Earth Spider (Minamoto no yorimitsu tsuchi gumi o kiru zu), from the series Thirty-six New Forms of Ghosts (Shingata Sanjurokkaisen). The print depicts Minamoto no Yorimitsu pulling his sword to defend himself from the spider demon. Oban SIZE 36.9 x 27 cm Condition: Good condition, color, and impression. Minor browning, and creasing. Provenance: Czech private collection. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was one of the leading woodblock print artists during the Meiji era (1868-1912) and one of the last to work in the traditional ukiyo-e manner. Born in Edo (today’s Tokyo), he showed a strong interest in classical Japanese literature and history. When he was 11, he became a student at Kuniyoshi Utagawa’s studio. Under his teacher’s guidance, he showed exquisite draftsmanship and learned how to draw from life, something not necessarily part of the training schools of painting and illustration in Japan. Yoshitoshi's last woodblock series, 'New Forms of Thirty-Six Ghosts', draws on an array of supernatural tales from both China and Japan. The images depict the weird, wonderful, and sinister ghost stories that were widely told among the Japanese population. Interestingly, this series was produced at a time when the Meiji government actively discouraged anything that contradicted Western science and rationality, leading some critics to regard this series as a criticism of the government's new ideology.