Ghosts of Sugoroku Past? A simplified, pictorial version of the Japanese board game “sugoroku” has existed since the thirteenth century, but became more popular during the Edo period, when printed editions were widely and cheaply available. “Picture sugoroku” resembles the game “Snakes and Ladders,” where players roll dice and progress around the board. Pictured here, the squares are illustrated with various supernatural characters familiar to players from kabuki theater, such as the magician Akatsuki Hoshigorō, riding on the back of a giant bat, seen here in the center. “Staging the Supernatural: Ghosts and the Theater in Japanese Prints” is now on view in Gallery 25. Part of our #JapaneseArt collection. #SmithsonianAsianArt Images: Picture sugoroku board game of actors in supernatural roles, Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900), Block carver: Ōta Tashichi (Komakichi) (act. ca. 1834–1882), Publisher: Hiranoya Shinzō (dates unknown), Japan, Edo period, 1863, 9th month, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz Collection, S2021.5.347
Mesmerizing to think about. Beautiful!
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