Designer: Ayumi Shiba | Publisher: Mokuhankan | Date: 2018

Paper size: 38cm by 26cm | Enlargement | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: $ 93.00£ 75.25€ 86.50 [Currently unavailable]

Description: Ayumi Shiba is one of the young ladies working at Mokuhankan in Tokyo, in multiple capacities: she works in the shop helping explain the prints to visitors; she hosts the Print Parties; and she works as a staff printer, creating work to be sold to customers and subscribers.

But she also moonlights ... as a modern printmaker, and this print is one of her creations - from concept, through design, and all the carving and printing ... herself.

Shiba-san's comments on this print: "This is a horror story that took place many many years ago ...

"A handsome young man married a beautiful young woman, not knowing that she was actually a shape-shifter, transforming between her human form, and that of a huge joro-gumo spider.

"Their life moved along without problem; she maintained her secret, keeping her human form during daylight hours, and he suspected nothing. But upon becoming pregnant, life for her became more difficult, and in the final stages of pregnancy, her hunger grew to ravenous levels, and she could no long contain herself. In desperate fear that she would lose control and devour her own husband, she began to leave the house in the dark of night, prowling in her spider form. As the days went by, she became the terror of the district, waylaying and eating anyone who was unfortunate enough to cross her path.

"One night, the husband awoke to find his wife absent, and fearing desperately for her safety, grabbed a large axe and went outside to find her. At one point he saw her in the distance, but just as he drew closer, she arrived at her web - on which were hanging cocooned parts of human bodies - and began her transformation.

"Seeing this, he realised what had happened - that his dear wife and partner, and the mother of his unborn child - was in reality, the monstrous creature that had been terrorizing the district.

"What should he do? ... What would you do?

"... a minute later ... his axe fell ..."

Each print is dated and signed by Ayumi-san, and carries her small seal:

The threads of the web are depicted in 'sho-men zuri' (front rubbing) ...