I’m Really Unnerved In Tokyo

Ukiyo-e, also known as Nishiki-e, is a representative art of Japan. With its unique color and richness, its artistic influence has been deeply felt in Europe and Asia.

Different from modern woodblock printing and mass dissemination of woodblock prints, the original origin of ukiyo-e is the hand-painted paintings made by painters with brush, ink and color, that is, meat pen ukiyo-e.

"Is it the manuscript before printing and engraving? Isn't that an antique, and it should be worth a lot of money?"

At this moment, Araki Sousuke had no intention of admiring the paintings around him. He bent down and picked up the two pieces of silk textiles in the middle of the corridor, and examined them carefully with a flushed face.

"What a bold T... and this one, it's too fierce, there should be a G, right?"

Since entering the passage, occasionally, in the middle of the road, some modern-style clothes may be seen left behind by people who entered this place by mistake.

But so far, he hasn't seen a corpse or a spirit body, so Araki Sosuke has no one to "ask for directions".

It was as if someone walked up the stairs naked and stripped of their clothes, and then disappeared from the world.

"Teacher Araki... come here and take a look..."

Just as Araki Sousuke was seriously observing the "clue" in his hand, there was an exclamation from Yumaumi Kotori behind him.

Looking back, the little witch was still standing in front of those ukiyo-e, her pretty face turned pale for some reason.

"The content of these paintings...is not quite right..."

After being reminded by her, Sousuke Araki, who had no artistic sense, patiently shifted his gaze to the contents of the paintings on the inner wall of the corridor.

These paintings, as always, implement the unique cool background color, bright main color, and delicate and flexible lines of Ukiyo-e.

The only difference is the content of these paintings...

The handsome and plump geisha looked at the few rotting corpses crushed into skin and bones under her with a smile.

The man with a strong upper body and a treacherous expression pierced into the throat of the person under him with both hands and feet, and took out the other's internal organs.

A ghost warrior who walks naked at night, with a head in his mouth that cannot rest in peace.

The first-born evil ghost with two horns and a ferocious face is embracing a beautiful woman and holding a big bowl to drink, while beneath him is a throne made of corpses.

The ukiyo-e paintings in this corridor all use bloody and straightforward brushstrokes and bright red colors to vividly depict unshaven, terrified human beings, who died tragically at the hands of their own kind or ghosts like livestock waiting to be slaughtered. scene.

Although it is only simple and gentle brushwork, abstract and bold colors, it vividly highlights the extremely painful trembling in the soul of the characters before death, making the viewers feel as if they are empathetic.

And the material of these picture scrolls is not ordinary perishable drawing paper, but something similar to leather, with its own light yellow color and natural texture.

"Tsk tsk... Even the internal organs and wounds are drawn so realistically, it's banned..."

Looking at these extremely realistic, hell-like ukiyo-e, with a thick nerve like Sousuke Araki, I also feel a little uncomfortable in my stomach.

"However, there may be hidden secrets about this place in these paintings... Hey, Miss Hanyu, can you hear me..."

"During the mission, please call me 'Wall of Maria'... The Survey Corps... What you see...is not an ordinary Ukiyo-e..."

Not long after the two of them informed Mai Hanyu of the situation in front of them, a reply came through the communication channel.

"And it should be called... Wu Mie..."

"……Luncheon party?"

Because ukiyo-e was originally used as interior decoration of noble buildings, the themes of the paintings are mostly local scenery of the four seasons, places of interest in various places, historical events, etc., especially good at expressing the plump beauty of women.

However, during the shogunate period when samurai were in power, "samurai painting", which showed the heroic appearance of the ruler and shaped the image of a hero, flourished again.

Different from these popular themes, there is a niche theme called "Wu Mie" that emerged after "Samurai Painting".

Wumi means "miserable and inhumane".

Wumi-e is based on themes such as ghosts slaughtering human beings, bloody battlefields in history and dramas, brutal murders, Edo ghost stories and other themes, and vividly displays bloody violence.

In the paintings without tragic paintings, the characters often have their heads broken, their stomachs ripped open, their faces grim, and their death horrific, making the people who see them shudder as if they were there.

It is said that painters who are proficient in this way, in order to better present such scenes, often go to places such as battlefields and mass graves to observe the real scene of corpses strewn all over the field with their own eyes, and even do not hesitate to personally dissect corpses and understand the human body. things like structure.

"Tsk tsk, can this be said to be the prototype of horror comics?"

Listening to Mai Hanyu's stern explanation, walking along the increasingly creepy gallery, Sousuke Araki suddenly stopped in front of a picture.

"In this...the era when this painting was drawn, did mobile phones already exist?"

In that painting, a warrior in full body armor is dragging a man who has been brutally cut in half.

The man's internal organs were scattered all over his upper body, and he was still holding a black object in his hand, with a painful expression on his ear.

Between the painter's elegant few strokes, it can be clearly recognized that what the man holds in his hand like a life-saving straw, as if he wants to call for help, is a mobile phone.

An ultra-thin large-screen mobile phone without any buttons.

"...and this one...this one here, why does it look like the one in my hand...it seems to be the same?"

In the painting next door, a broad-minded, white and slender woman is being hung upside down from the roof by the evil spirits below, and is being painfully roasted on the fire.

And the obscene trousers covering her last triangle, no matter in terms of style, pattern or color, no matter how you look at it, it is completely natural with the tight hand of Araki Sousuke who has never let go...

"Furthermore, judging by my eyes of the void, who have practiced hard for many years and have learned a lot, the size of the person in the painting should also be G! 』

"Could it be that……"

The two quickened their pace, resisting the unhappiness and depression brought about by the bloody and violent scenes, and carefully looked at each one in the corridor.

"Those who strayed into this place..."

Although they didn't speak, the same terrible idea appeared in their minds at the same time.

"Teacher Araki, look over there!"

At the end of the corridor of the painting pavilion, Xiaoniao Youzheng's eyes fell on the penultimate painting, and his pupils immediately began to vibrate.

In that painting, a graceful girl is being pierced through the chest by an old man in black and wearing a kimono with his bare hands, and his heart is pulled out.

Although the facial features of the characters are only outlined with simple strokes, the demure and tenacious temperament of the girl is vivid on the paper.

Even when her heart was crushed, she didn't show too much pain on her face.

The most important thing is that the girl with disheveled clothes, showing her white and greasy upper body and the hook jade on her chest, is wearing a red and white maiden costume.

On the ground at the side, a huge white bow fell weakly.