Comparison Of Hannya And Kohado's Ghosts In The Laughing Demon

These two paintings by Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese artist from the Edo period, are both from his One Hundred Ghost Series. Both pieces are woodcut paintings completed around 1831 (“Hokusai”). The Ghost of Kohada Koheiji depicts the skeleton of Kohada Koheiji, an aspiring actor who was murdered at the command of his ex-wife and her new lover (“Hokusai”). In this woodcut painting, he is vengefully peering into a mosquito net. In the popular story, the ex-wife and her new lover were haunted so miserably by Kohado’s ghost that they both took their own lives. In The Laughing Demon, there are two demons combined into one figure (“Hokusai”). One of them is Hannya, who is an extremely jealous woman turned into a demon. The second ghost is Yamauba,

The lines in the demon’s face are thicker and bolder, and they clearly outline all the wrinkles in her face. On the other hand, the lines in Kohada’s eyes, mouth, and hair are all delicate and thin. Furthermore, they are choppy and disconnected, and they lack the flowing attribute of the lines used in The Laughing Demon. While The Laughing Demon does use thin lines, such as in the veins of the neck, they are only used sparingly and to emphasize subtle details, such as making the blood look more realistic. These descriptions of lines can then be used to describe the personality of the subject matter. In the article “The Human Body as a Microcosmic source of Macrocosmic Values in Calligraphy,” John Hay explains calligraphy that use good “brush strength has much bone” (85). This analysis of calligraphic brushstrokes can be transferred to examining the brushwork (in this case, carvings) used in paintings. The lines of the demon’s face have more bone because they are bolder and have more structure, whereas the lines of Kohada’s face has more flesh. The wrinkles and outlines of the demon’s face seem to be painted with more certainty and confidence than those painted in the skeleton. Hay argues the brushstrokes reflect the personality of the painter, but if this idea were to be extended to infer the character of the demon, then it can be understood that there is more

In contrast, Kohada’s face has thin lines, and Hay claims, “those not good in brush strength has much flesh” (85). It can be inferred that Kohada is not as powerful as the demon