In Japan many elements of Japanese Buddhism, Shintoism and folk tales overlap within aspects of ukiyo-e art. The power of the Shinto faith can't be underestimated in history because many Buddhist leaders in the distant past like Kukai new the richness of this religion.

Folk tales also have been fused between different thought patterns within the Shinto and Buddhist faiths and just like Dracula may be distant from Christianity, the linkage is all too clear. Similarly, you have many powerful ghost stories in Japan whereby the power of the "underworld" is very real within the religious traditions of Japan.

The ukiyo-e art movement likewise needed to connect with Japanese people therefore you have many powerful themes in ukiyo-e. One of these powerful themes is the underworld and ghosts. Therefore, throughout the Edo period and continued during the Meiji era, many ukiyo-e artists focused on "the deep mysteries of the spirit world."