Nakibisu (The Crying Woman Yōkai)

The painting shows an disembodied female head against a neutral background, surrounded by thick, dark ink smoke or wisps of hair that swirl around the face. The figure’s face is aged and sorrowful, characterized by heavy wrinkles around the eyes and nasolabial folds, with distinct red pigments applied to the lower eyelids and the lips. The teeth are painted a dark, mottled color, consistent with the historical Japanese practice of ohaguro (tooth blackening).

This artwork belongs to the 'Bakemono no e' (yōkai painting) tradition, representing creatures from Japanese folklore and kaidan literature that manifest as bizarre, often spectral, transformations of human forms.