One Hundred Ghost Stories
A series of five ghost-story prints by Hokusai.
Katsushika Hokusai, the ukiyo-e master best known for his landscapes and wildlife prints, was in his seventies when he turned to the supernatural. Around 1830, while working on his celebrated *Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji*, he also created a series called *One Hundred Ghost Stories* (*Hyaku monogatari*). Despite the title, only five prints in this *Yūrei-zu* (ghost-picture) series survive. Hokusai and his publisher, Tsuruya Kiemon, had planned to produce a full hundred, but the project was never completed. The prints draw on the ghost stories and *yokai* lore popular during the Edo period, reflecting Hokusai’s familiarity with the superstitions of his time. Each scene illustrates a tale that might have been told during the game of *Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai*.
That game, “A Gathering of One Hundred Supernatural Tales,” was a nighttime pastime in which participants took turns telling ghost stories by the light of a hundred candles. After each story, one candle was blown out. The practice began among samurai as a test of courage, but it soon spread across society. People believed that each extinguished candle opened a channel for ghosts or spirits to slip into the living world, and that once all the candles were out, something supernatural might happen. The game itself may have evolved from a medieval religious ritual called *Hyakuza hodan* (One Hundred Buddhist Stories), where miracles were expected after telling a hundred Buddhist tales over a hundred days.
One of the stories Hokusai depicted is *The Plate Mansion* (*Sara-yashiki*). This 17th-century legend centers on a maid named Okiku. In the most common version, she breaks a valuable set of Korean plates—sometimes just one plate—and is thrown into a well by her master. Other accounts say she jumped in herself out of despair. After her death, she becomes a *yūrei*, and every night her voice rises from the well, counting: “One… Two… Three… Eight… Nine… I can’t find the last one…” The house was eventually confiscated after rumors spread. A monk finally ends her haunting by adding “ten” to her count, causing her to vanish. In another version, Okiku works for a samurai named Aoyama Tessan at Himeji Castle. He makes advances on her; she refuses. He then tricks her into thinking she lost a plate, offering forgiveness only if she becomes his lover. When she still refuses, he throws her into the well. Her ghost
- born
- 1760
- died
- 1849
- field
- Ukiyo-e woodblock prints
- nationality
- Japanese
- known_for
- One Hundred Ghost Stories series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Lore & Background
Hokusai created the One Hundred Ghost Stories series in his seventies, attuned to the superstitions of the Edo period. The series references the game Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, where participants told ghost stories by candlelight, extinguishing a candle after each tale. The game originated as a religious ritual possibly from medieval Hyakuza hodan (One Hundred Buddhist Stories). The prints include scenes from legends such as The Plate Mansion (Sara-yashiki), The Laughing Hannya (Warai-hannya), The Ghost of Oiwa (Oiwa-san), The Ghost of Kohada Koheiji (Kohada Koheiji), and Obsession (Shûnen).
Reader's Guide
The One Hundred Ghost Stories series is significant as a rare example of Hokusai's work in the Yūrei-zu genre, focusing on supernatural themes rather than his more famous landscapes. The prints illustrate popular ghost stories of the Edo period, such as the tale of Okiku, whose spirit counts plates nightly, and the Laughing Hannya, a demon devouring an infant. Hokusai's depictions often blend yokai types, as seen in Okiku's serpentine form resembling a rokurokubi or nure-onna. The series also reflects the cultural practice of Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, a game of storytelling meant to test courage. Despite its title, only five prints were completed, leaving the intended hundred unfinished. The prints remain valuable for their insight into Edo-period folklore and Hokusai's versatility as an artist.
Did You Know?
- Only five prints exist in the series, though one hundred were planned.
- The game Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai was first played by samurai as a test of courage.
- Hokusai drew Okiku's spirit as a serpent whose body is made of plates.
- The Ghost of Oiwa story was originally a kabuki play written in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku IV.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is One Hundred Ghost Stories?
One Hundred Ghost Stories (Hyaku monogatari) is a series of ghost-story woodblock prints created by the ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai around 1830. The work belongs to the yūrei-zu (ghost-picture) tradition and depicts supernatural beings rooted in Edo-period folklore.
How many prints from One Hundred Ghost Stories actually exist?
Despite the title implying a set of a hundred, only five prints from the series are known to survive today. Hokusai and his publisher Tsuruya Kiemon had originally planned the full hundred, but the project was never finished.
Who made One Hundred Ghost Stories and when?
The series was produced by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) in his seventies, around 1830, during the same period he was working on his famous Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. It represents a late-career turn toward supernatural subject matter for the landscape artist.
Why is the series called 'One Hundred' if it was never completed?
The title reflects the original publishing plan rather than the finished product. Hokusai and Tsuruya Kiemon intended to issue one hundred ghost-story prints, but the project stalled and only a handful were ever printed, leaving the full set unrealized.
What kind of ghosts and yokai appear in One Hundred Ghost Stories?
The surviving prints draw on the rich tradition of Edo-period ghost stories and yokai lore, depicting spectral figures and supernatural creatures that were popular subjects in Japanese folklore at the time. Hokusai rendered these beings in the same bold, expressive style he applied to his landscapes and wildlife prints.
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