OVER YOUR DEAD BODY: Woodblock Prints of Oiwa

Oiwa, the main character of Yotsuya Kaidan, the play-within-a-film in Takashi Miike's Over Your Dead Body, is a common subject in Japanese art. Peruse at some ukiyo-e woodblock prints before Over Your Dead Body premieres tonight.

Here is a detail from an Utagawa Kuniyoshi print of Oiwa confronting her husband Iemon. Oiwa's spirit--and the spirit of their dead child--is manifesting from a paper lantern.

Two lantern images of Oiwa by Katsushika Hokusai.

 A scene from a performance of Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan rendered by Utagawa Kunikazu. (A lot of woodblock prints are kind of like lobby cards or trading cards, allowing theater audiences to remember their favorite moments or favorite actors).

And one by  Utagawa Toyokuni III.

 

An Utagawa Kuniyoshi, this time with a poem by Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu.

And two more by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. One a portrait of a particular performer as Oiwa.

And one with pretty much all the wtf in the world.

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY screening times:

Thurs., Sept. 11, Ryerson 6:00 PM
Fri., Sept. 12, The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema 9:00 PM
Sat., Sept. 13, TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 6:30 PM