Nissaka (The Nightly Weeping Rock)

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, artist

1797–1861

Iba-ya Sensaburo, publisher

Nissaka (The Nightly Weeping Rock), circa 1845–1846, Edo period (1600–1868)

Portfolio/Series title: Tōkaidō gojūsantsui (The 53 Parallels of the Tōkaidō Road) (Fifty-three Ghosts of the Tōkaidō)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: color woodcut

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 353 x 226 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 13 7/8 x 8 7/8 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 359 x 239 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 14 1/8 x 9 7/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in

Credit line: Gift of H. Lee Turner

Accession number: 1968.0001.064

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"The Art of Stories Told," Jun-2004, Veronica de Jong
There is a stone along the road linking Tokyo (formally called Edo) to Kyoto called the “Nightly Weeping Rock,” which according to legend became the abode of a ghost. According to the legend, a pregnant woman was traveling this road to see her husband and was attacked by a thief who violently killed her. Because her blood was spilt on this rock it became the residence of her spirit that could be heard weeping each night. The husband went there one evening and the ghost gave him their child. She explained that the Buddhist deity Kannon saved and cared for the child until his arrival. The spirit then joined her husband in order to find the man responsible for her death.

In this illustration, the ghost has given the child to its father who holds it close to his chest. Japanese ghosts don’t have legs and are often accompanied by floating flames. This frightening story is given added weight by the anguished expression of the woman’s face that is emphasized over the body that lacks details and human form.

Archive Label date unknown:
One of the 53 famous rest-stop stations of the Tōkaidō, or Eastern Sea Road, was Nissaka, the site of a ghost story of the "Nightly weeping rock." The rock was haunted by the ghost of a pregnant woman who had been murdered by highway bandits. In this scene the wronged woman has just given her husband their infant child, who had been rescued from the murder scene by Kannon, the Buddhist deity of mercy. The story continues with the ghost assisting the grieved husband to avenge her death.

Archive Label date unknown:
The legend of this landmark along the Tōkaidō roadway between Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto concerns a pregnant woman who was traveling to meet her long-absent husband. She was ruthlessly murdered by a thief, and her blood fell on a rock; it then became the abode of her spirit and was said to cry out every night. Kuniyoshi's print depicts the ghost of the dead woman appearing before her husband who holds their child in his arms. Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, had rescued the baby and reared it on sweets.