The actors nakamura fukusuke i and iwai kumesaburō iii (from left) as ota tarō and takiyasha-hime. The wicked princess takiyasha is shown in this print invoking toad magic in her attempt to overcome her enemy the hero mitsukuni. According to legend, princess takiyasha was the daughter of taira no masakado, an evil magician and unsuccessful usurper of the throne, who died in the year 940. After her father's death, takiyasha encountered nikushisen, the spirit of a toad, whose witchcraft abetted her in fomenting a rebellion. However, the emperor's defender mitsukuni courageously withstood the power of takiyasha's magic, thus quelling her ambitions. Date: August 1856 (late Edo). Place of creation: Japan. Dimensions: 35.5 × 25.2 cm (13.9 × 9.9 in). Medium: pigments on mulberry paper. Collection: Walters Art Museum.
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