Villains in Ukiyo-e

Evil spirits, wicked thieves, sorcerers and other miscellaneous baddies take centre stage at Harajuku's Ota Museum in June, as this display shines a spotlight on the multifarious villains of Edo, whose people were just as fascinated with the fiendish as modern audiences are. Look out for historical characters like the Robin Hood-like outlaw Ishikawa Goemon, street thug Banzuiin Chobei and the devious Kira Yoshinaka, who met his end at the hands of the righteous 47 ronin, and make sure not to miss Utagawa Toyokuni III's iconic depiction of arch-villain Tamiya Iemon from 'Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan'.