Twenty-Eight Famous Murders with Verse

Twenty-Eight Famous Murders with Verse is a series of ukiyo-e woodblock prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Utagawa Yoshiiku, with each artist creating 14 prints. It was published from 1866 to 1867. Most of the works are based on acts of murder or torture based on historical events which were later depicted in kabuki and noh theatre. The series is considered a masterpiece and defining piece of the so-called "cruel pictures" genre of ukiyo-e. The main title is inscribed in a red rectangular frame along with the subject of the painting, and on the left, in a white rectangular frame, are haiku supposedly by Matsuo Bashō,, Mukai Kyorai, and others. The series supposedly contains text from 10 different authors, although one author was listed twice. The term "eimei nijūhasshūku" is based on the Buddhist "Twenty-Eight Mansions", and the word "shūku" is a pun on "shuku" The series was published by Nishikimorido.