Eimei nijuhasshuku (Twenty-eight murders with verse)

Together studied under Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861), Yoshiiku and Yoshitoshi were the best rivals and continued the extravanganza style of Kuniyoshi. Being inspired by Kuniyoshi's Saetate no uchi kitai no wazamono (Skillfully Tempered Sharp Blades) and each contributed fourteen sheets, the two Kuniyoshi students finished this earliest example of muzan-e (bloody prints), which demonstrated violent scenes and was large produced in late Edo Period to early Meiji Period. Most of such prints, including this series, were created based on kabuki stories.
The society in the late Edo Period (mid 19th century) was at an unstable stage with the deminishing Tokugawa shogunate and the entering of Western power. Though mostly fictional, the fact that Muzan-e getting popular at such background must indicated that the Edo commoners saw bloody scenes happening around them regularly. The title of this series is believed to have a buddhist reference, as 二十八衆句 (28 verses) puns to 二十八宿 (28 mansions) and 衆句 (verses) puns to 衆苦 (numerous suffering).