Poetry competition of ghosts and demons

The opening scene is a large shrine near the shore, perhaps the Hachiman Shrine in Kamakura. This is followed by an image of a lonely mountain temple, perhaps the site of the competition that follows. Ghosts and demons, usually one male and one female, are paired off against one another in a traditional poetry competition; each of the ten figures is accompanied by his or her poem. The first pair comprises Okame no Nyobo, a demon-woman with long neck and tongue who drinks the oil from oil lamps, and Mikoshi Nyudo. The next pair comprises a one-eyed Buddhist acolyte and a fox dressed as a courtier. The third (see illustration) shows Neshima no Rojo (a fox as an old lady dancing with robe pulled up over her head) and Furudera no Tanukidoke (a seated badger dressed as a monk); the fourth Mikawamata no Kappa (a water sprite) and Fukunuma no osho (an otter); the fifth and last Bakeji, the stone statue of a ghostly Jizo, and a mother with a dead child.

Ghosts and demons were often represented in the nineteenth century, inspired by the popular story of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (Hyakki yagyo).