Skeleton Tote Bag

Dimensions: 16″ x 16″

Materials: 30% Cotton, 70% Polyester

Handwash Only

This work is one of the masterpieces of Utagawa Kuniyoshi, inspired by the yomihon (illustrated novel) *Uto Yasukata Chūgiden* by Santō Kyōden.

The setting, “Sōma no Furudairi,” is a ruined mansion originally built in Shimōsa Province by Taira no Masakado (also known as Sōma Kojirō). After the Taira no Masakado’s Rebellion, the residence fell into decay. Masakado’s children, Takiyasha-hime and Yoshikado, inherit his knowledge of sorcery and gather allies in this abandoned place, where supernatural creatures soon begin to appear.

Learning of this, Ōya no Tarō Mitsukuni, a retainer of Minamoto no Yorinobu, confronts and defeats the monsters, thwarting their plot.

In the original story, multiple skeletons appear. However, Kuniyoshi reimagines them as a single gigantic skeleton, creating a striking and dramatic composition that has become one of the most iconic images in ukiyo-e.