Overview

This scene from Ise monogatari (Tale of Ise) appears to be the Akutagawa episode, in which a man steals away a noble woman he loves and takes her to a steam called Akutagawa. Caught in a thunderstorm, the man puts the lady in a shelter, haunted by demons. Much to his grief, in the morning, he finds that she is eaten by a demon.

Noteworthy in this painting, originally in sliding-door (J., fusuma) format, are the design of the court robe (J., uchigi) on the grass and the unusual depiction of the man, who appears here as a young noble. The pampas grass painted against the silver ground also features a distinct technique.