Japan & the Far East
Yoshitsune, Benkei and the Ghosts of the Taira
Original caption: Yoshitsune and Benkei attacked by a ghostly company of the Taira Clan
Storm-driven water and ghostly warriors surround the boat carrying Yoshitsune and his companion Benkei. Davis places the episode after the defeat of the Taira clan at Dan-no-ura: their dead rise from the sea to threaten the travellers. Yoshitsune reaches for his sword, but Benkei meets the apparition with Buddhist prayer and his rosary, after which the ghosts withdraw and the storm subsides. Paul's crowded, slanting composition makes the contrast between armed defence and spiritual protection the centre of the scene.
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Citation
Evelyn Paul. "Yoshitsune, Benkei and the Ghosts of the Taira" [source caption]. In Myths and Legends of Japan, F. Hadland Davis; illustrated by Evelyn Paul. 1912, George G. Harrap & Company. Source scan leaf 57. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/japan-taira-ghosts
Source details
Title from the printed caption. Editorial description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Description follows Davis's retelling and the supplied plate, rather than presenting the legend as historical fact.
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Evelyn Paul. Yoshitsune, Benkei and the Ghosts of the Taira. Myths and Legends of Japan. Scan leaf 57. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/japan-taira-ghosts