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| This is truly one of Yoshitoshi's most beautiful prints. It is a scence from the famous Noh and Kabuki play Dojoji Musume. In the play, a young girl falls madly in love with a young buddhist priest. However the young priest is a serious man, and rejects her advances. She becomes so enraged with his rejection that she follows after him as he travels to the Dojoji Temple. When she crosses a river on the way to the temple, she changes into a giant snake demon. She chases the priest to the temple, where he hides in Dojoji's famous giant bell. In a fury, the female snake demon coils her body around the bell, causeing it to glow white hot with her passion. Te bell melts, killing both her and the young priest. Yoshitoshi composed many prints based on the Dojoji tale, but this one is his finest. Here, the young girl emerges from the river, her flowing kimono already taking on the form of a large snake. The details of the kimono, and its snake scale like quality are true feats of technical mastery. I had the opportunity to see this print close up, and the embossing work is just incredible. The composition of the print is excellent. The river behind the transforming girl rages along with her violent emotions, and her body language assumes that of a snake slithering from the waters. The expression on the young girls face is also highly moving. The first time I saw this print I was struck by its intensity, and it continues to this day to instill me with powerful emotions. |
