The demoness at left is, in fact, a high-ranking woman who has turned to cannibalism in order to aid the lord of her district. He requires the blood of children as a remedy for a disease from which he suffers. When wandering priests seek refuge from a storm in the old woman's house, they discover a room filled with human bones and splattered with blood. They decide to flee, but the woman returns, assumes a demonic form, and chases them. Kogyo represents the moment when the priests turn and try to exorcize the pursuing demon by chanting invocations and rubbing rosary beads. Date: 1898 (Meiji). Place of creation: Tokyo, Japan. Dimensions: height: 25 cm (9.8 in); width: 37.2 cm (14.6 in). Medium: pigments on mulberry paper. Collection: Walters Art Museum. Matsuke Heikichi - Nogaku zue - Walters 95252
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