The Ghost Cat – Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1840s)

A giant cat face emerges from the shadows, its round eyes fixed on the viewer. In this haunting kabuki print, Utagawa Kuniyoshi fills the whole background with a spectral grey cat, drawn in fine lines like smoke.

On the left, a young man in a dark kimono sits calmly, holding a sheet covered in writing. On the right stands a woman in pale robes and, behind her, a ghost with greenish skin, a bare, bony chest and a body that fades away below the waist: the classic look of a Japanese yūrei. A ghost flame (onibi) burns between them, and a long trail of smoke loops across the scene, linking the figures to the apparition.

Ghost cats and ghost stories were among the great hits of the kabuki stage in the 1840s, and Kuniyoshi, a famous cat lover, painted them better than anyone. Here, the soft grey tones and the giant cat looming like a dream make this one of his most atmospheric prints.

About the bakeneko

A bakeneko is a house cat that becomes a yōkai as it grows old: it walks on its hind legs, licks lamp oil, talks and takes human form. Read more in our guide to Japanese yokai, which also explains how yūrei ghosts differ from yōkai.

• Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)
• Date: 1840s
• Format: ōban diptych, kabuki print
• Theme: bakeneko (ghost cat), yūrei, Japanese ghost story

Discover more demons, ghosts and spirits in our yokai print collection.