One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, or Tsuki no Hyakushi (月百姿) in Japanese, is a collection of 100 ōban sizeukiyo-ewoodblock prints by Japanese artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi printed in batches, starting in 1885 until 1892.[1] It represents one of Yoshitoshi's later works. The woodblock prints feature various famous figures, both historical and literary characters, each in a moonlit scene as well as occasional references to poetry.
History
This series of 100 prints was published in 1885–92 by Akiyama Buemon. The subjects are drawn from various sources in Japanese and Chinese history and literature, Kabuki and Noh theatre, and even contemporary Edo (modern Tokyo), linked only by the presence of the Moon in each print. The creation of mood according to the phase of the Moon was exploited for its poetic and expressive possibilities. This was the most successful and still the most famous of Yoshitoshi's print series. People would queue before dawn to buy each new design and still find the edition sold out.[2]
Takao was a name used by eleven courtesans in the Yoshiwara district of Edo. Here is the 6th Takao, known for her literary talents and dressed by the fashion of the late 17th century. "The haiku in the cartouche describes her longing for her lover: 'By now you must be/ somewhere near Komagata/ A nightingale is singing.'"[4]
Soga Tokimune viewing a moonlit mountain after rainfall
10
Moon of pure snow at Asano River (Asanogawa seisetsu no tsuki)
Moon of Pure Snow at Asano River - Chikako, the Filial Daughter. Chikako was the daughter of Zeniya Gohei who was wrongfully imprisoned.
11
Cooling off at Shijo (Shijo noryo)
12
Moon above the Sea at Daimotsu Bay: Benkei (Daimotsu kaijô no tsuki - Benkei)
"The story of the heroic deeds of Yoshitsune no Minamoto and his loyal servant, the warrior-priest Benkei, was told in the Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike) and the Gikeiki (Story of Yoshitsune), and retold many times in plays and prints. This legendary episode was the central subject of famous Noh and Kabuki plays, including the version of Funa Benkei (Benkei in the Boat) starring Danjûrô IX premiered in 11/1885. After Yoshitsune’s decisive win over the Taira clan at the battle of Dannoura in 1185, he was outlawed by his elder brother Yoritomo and forced to flee the imperial capital with his followers. Setting sail, they were caught in an unusually violent storm and heard the spirit voices of the Taira warriors calling for revenge.
A host of dead warriors appeared above the waves and were only quelled when Benkei confronted them, with his rosary in hand, reciting prayers and spells.
Kuniyoshi had depicted this episode in prints with the ghosts clearly visible; Yoshitoshi makes them less tangible, but evokes their presence in the shapes of the black clouds. In fine early impressions such as this example, mica scattered on the surface shines when the print is moved in the light, depicting the moonlight glittering on the dark waves."
Block-cutter: Enkatsu (Noguchi Enkatsu).
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon. First edition January 1886[5]
13
The cry of the fox (Konkai)
Hakuzōsu is the kitsune who pretended to be the Buddhist priest.
14
Tsunenobu and the demon
The scene depicts a story where the courtier Minamoto no Tsunenobu was watching the autumn moon and composed the following verse based on Tang dynasty poetry:[6]
I Listen to the Sound of the Cloth Being Pounded/ As the Moon Shines Serenely/ And Believe that There is Someone Else/ Who Has Not Yet Gone to Sleep
Whereupon, a massive demon appeared and replied with a poetic verse from Li Bai:
In the northern sky, geese fly across the Big Dipper; to the south, cold robes are pounded under the moonlight.
15
Mount Yoshino midnight-moon (Yoshinoyama yowa no tsuki)
"Against the advice of his general Masashige, Emperor Go-Daigo (1288-1339) was encouraged by courtier Sasaki Kiyotaka, for his own political gain, to fight the rebelling forces of Ashikaga Takauji at the battle of Minatogawa in 1336. As a result of losing the battle, Masashige committed suicide and the Emperor fled to Mount Yoshino, where Kiyotaka was also forced to commit suicide. Kiyotaka’s ghost haunted and harried the exiled courtiers, none of whom dared to face it. Finally it was confronted by Masashige’s daughter-in-law, the heroic Iga no Tsubone, who drove it away.
Like all the prints in this series, the white title cartouche is embossed with the pattern of a textile.
The ghost has blue lips, a convention also used for corpses. Iga no Tsubone’s hair is remarkable both for its fine carving, and for the part it plays in one of Yoshitoshi’s boldest designs."
Block-cutter: Enkatsu (Noguchi Enkatsu).
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon. First edition January 1886[7]
16
Michizane composes a poem by moonlight
"The Moon Glimmers like Bright Snow/ And Plum Blossoms Appear like Reflected Stars/ Ah! The Golden Mirror of the Moon Passes Overhead/ As Fragrance from the Jade Chamber Fills the Garden", poetic verse by Sugawara no Michizane[6]
"Hakuga Sammi is the Chinese reading of the name and court rank of Minamoto no Hiromasa (918-80), grandson of Emperor Daigo. He was a famous musician, equally adept at playing a variety of wind and string instruments. We see him here from the rear, wearing the robes and lacquered hat of a Heian courtier, and playing the yokobue, a transverse flute. He is outside the Suzaku Gate of the Daidairi enclosure in Kyoto, which contained the imperial palace and government offices. The identity of his companion is uncertain, but judging from his hat and beard he is probably a foreigner.
Hiromasa’s skill on the flute was legendary and the beauty of his playing is recounted in numerous tales. One of them tells of him being robbed of all his possessions except a wooden flute (hichiriki). When he picked up the remaining flute and started to play, the sound carried through the streets to the ears of the robbers. They were so moved by its beauty that they repented their crime and returned Hiromasa’s possessions."
Block-cutter: Yamamoto (Yamamoto Shinji).
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon. First edition 02/1886[8]
"A contemporary scene showing an everyday hero in Tokyo, a tinder-box town built of wood and paper. Throughout his career, Yoshitoshi depicted firemen in his prints. Not only were they popular, daredevil figures with something of the heroic appeal of actors and wrestlers, but their distinctive costumes and geometric standards (matoi) made them very picturesque. Their quilted jackets were soaked with water to make them more resistant to fire, and they could be reversed when the fire was over to reveal a colourful lining. The character on the back of this jacket reads matoi, indicating that this is the standard bearer for the brigade fighting the fire in the foreground.
The character on the hat shows that he belongs to Number One Company. Standards were held aloft on roof tops so that each brigade could be identified and so that firemen could signal above the flames and noise. A distant fireman holds another standard on the roof opposite. There was great rivalry between the district brigades because the particular brigade that saved each property was rewarded. Spattered red lead that has blackened gives texture and atmosphere to the smoke and flames."
Block-cutter: Yamamoto (Yamamoto Shinji).
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon. First edition February 1886[9]
This scene depicts the famous poetess and lady of the court, Ono no Komachi, much later in her life, after her legendary beauty had faded and filled with regret with past choices.[6]
26
Cassia-tree moon (Tsuki no katsura)
This scene depicts the Chinese-Taoist master, Wu Gang with his axe. For abusing his power, he had been punished by the gods to forever chop the cassia trees on the Moon, but they immediately regenerate themselves.[6]
27
Moon at the Yamaki Mansion (Yamaki yakata no tsuki)
Kato Kagekado tries to kill Yamaki Kanetaka using his helmet as bait in the Battle of Ishibashiyama.
The Yugao chapter from The Tale of Genji (Genji yugao maki)
"This diaphonous figure is the ghost of the most mysterious of Prince Genji's lovers in The Tale of Genji, the 11th-century classic by Murasaki Shikibu, who was depicted in another print in this series. In Chapter 4 of the novel, Genji is on the way to visit his old nurse when he is attracted by the white flowers of a gourd overrunning the garden of a dilapidated house. He asks a servant to fetch a bloom and it is returned on a fan inscribed with a poem referring to his ‘evening face’, the literal meaning of yûgao, the name of the flower (Lagenaria siceraria). He courts the mysterious author of the poem, and takes her to a nearby villa, where she is visited in the middle of the night by the jealous spirit of one of Genji's lovers; she breaks into a fever and within hours she is dead. Genji is overcome with grief and years later still longed for a further glimpse of the woman who faded as quickly as the white flowers in her garden.
The print shows her ghost floating through her garden on the night of a full moon: yûgao was also known as ‘moonflower’, thus linking the subject to the theme of the series. Her lips are blue, a convention for the depiction of ghosts and corpses. Blind embossing is used to give form to the white petals of the flowers."
Block-cutter: Yamamoto (Yamamoto Shinji).
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon. First edition March 1886[10]
30
The Moon through a crumbling window (Haso no tsuki)
The legendary Indian-Buddhist monk Bodhidharma was said to have journeyed to China to bring Zen teachings, and was reputed to have meditated in front of a wall for years until his arms and legs atrophied and fell off.
31
Mount Ji Ming moon (Keimeizan no tsuki)
32
Kitayama moon (Kitayama no tsuki)
Toyohara no Muneaki (ja), a master instrumentalist, blows his shō to escape the wolves.
33
Dawn moon of the Shinto rites (Shinji no zangetsu)
A scene from Genpei Jōsuiki depicts Aliko, a shrine maiden at Itsukushima Shrine, who falls in love with Tokudaiji Sanesada and despairs of their unfulfilled love because of their different status.
39
Inamura Promontory moon at daybreak (Inamurgasaki no akebono no tsuki)
Yamato Takeru disguised himself as a girl to assassinate the brothers of the Kumaso leader.
43
Theater-district dawn moon (Shibaimachi no akatsuki)
44
Akazome Emon viewing the Moon from her palace chambers
Akazome Emon was an accomplished poet during the late Heian period of history, and this scene depicts a verse from one of her poems where she waited overnight for her lover in vain:[6]
I wish I had gone to bed immediately; but now the night has passed and I watch the moon descend.
45
Hazy-night moon (Oboroyo no tsuki)
A scene from the Noh play Oborozukiyo shows the legendary bandit Kumasaka Chōhan (ja).
46
Bon Festival Moon (Bon no tsuki)
47
Kintō picks a plum branch in the moonlight
Poem: "In the midst of glimmering whiteness / among the night's moon-shadows / I part the snow and pluck plumb blossoms" - Fujiwara no Kinto, January 1887. Fujiwara no Kinto was considered one of the preeminent poets and calligraphers of the Heian period, and helped compile official poetry anthologies in his capacity as advisor to the Emperor.
48
Huai River Moon - Wu Zixu (Waisui no tsuki - Goshisho)
49
Streetwalker by moonlight
50
The Moon and the helm of a boat (Daro no tsuki)
Taira no Kiyotsune (ja) plays his flute on the ship before the battle, ready to die.
51
Lady Gosechi (Gosechi no myobu)
A scene from Jikkinshō (十訓抄) depicts Minamoto no Tsunenobu and others who are moved to tears by the sound of a koto played by a former court lady who has abandoned the world to live in seclusion in a dilapidated house.
This scene depicts the famous poet and compiler of the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, Fujiwara no Teika, falling asleep on the veranda of the Sumiyoshi Shrine. The shrine was devoted to the patron deity of poets, and according to tradition, while Teika slept, he dreamt of deity visiting him in the form of a ghostly old man.[6]
Does the cuckoo too announce its name from above the clouds?
A scene from The Tale of the Heike, describing how after the master archer Minamoto no Yorimasa killed the yōkaiNue, silence returned and the cuckoo's call could be heard.
59
In the moonlight under the trees a beautiful woman comes (Getsumei rinka bijin majiru)
60
Received back into Moon Palace (Gekkyo no mukae)
This print depicts the last scene from the famous tale of the Bamboo Cutter's Daughter, as Kaguya-hime (かぐや姫) is escorted back to her home on the Moon, reluctantly leaving her adoptive parent behind.
This scene depicts one of the Seven Luck Gods, Hotei, pointing at the Moon, in reference to Zen aphorism how pointing at the Moon is not the Moon itself.[6]
63
The moon of the moor (Harano no tsuki)
A scene from Konjaku Monogatari in which the bandit Hakamadare tries to attack Fujiwara no Yasumasa (ja), who is playing the flute, but is unable to do so because of the intimidating atmosphere Fujiwara exudes.
64
Nakamaro views the Moon in China
Abe no Nakamaro was a member of an official delegation to China from Japan, and stayed for years before returning home. Viewing the Moon here is a possible allusion to poem number 7 of the hyakunin isshu anthology.
A scene from a senryū poem by Mizutani Ryokutei (ja). When a man named Gyokuensai went to Ueno to see the cherry blossoms, he brushed the petals from the sleeves of his kimono and was mocked by the drunken guests who said, "You wouldn't mind the flowers falling on your kimono if it were so shabby. The man replied with an extemporaneous and brilliant tanka poem.
77
Lunacy - unrolling letters (Tsuki no monogurui - fumihiroge)
The scene depicts a distraught Ochiyo, lover of Toyotomi no Hideyoshi after learning that he has died. It is said after receiving the news, she went mad rolling and unrolling his letters until she died.[6]
A country couple enjoys the moonlight with their infant son
A man and a woman cool off for the evening (夕涼み, yūsuzumi) under a trellis of calabash (夕顔, yūgao).
89
Horin temple moon (Horinji no tsuki)
"Yokobue was an attendant of the empress Kenreimonin in the 12th century. A young guard fell in love with her, but when his father objected to the match he left to become a monk at Hôrin temple in the mountains.
Yokobue travelled to see him, but fearing that he might be tempted to forget his vow, he made use of the fact that he had changed his name and sent a message that no one of the name she was calling was at the temple. Heartbroken, Yokobue departed. According to Heike monogatari (Tale of the Heike), she became a nun, but in the sixteenth century Yokobue sôshi (Book of Yokobue) she threw herself into the Ôi River and her lover ran down the mountain to find her drowned.
The print shows her as she turns away to come down from the mountain, with the mood of the landscape reflecting her state of mind: the clouds covering the Moon, the wind tugging at her robes, the fence a barrier between her and her lover, and the intertwined pine trees, symbols of conjugal happiness, disappearing in the mist. Her pose is suggestive of the meaning of her name, ‘transverse flute’.
The depiction of the landscape recreates the effect of Rimpa screen painting, with the clouds and fence effectively carved to mimic broken brushstrokes."
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon. First edition 20 December 1890[11]
A scene depicting the morning of the Tokugawa Shogun's celebration from the building side of Edo Castle. Only on this day was the chōnin class allowed to enter the South Garden of Edo Castle to watch the Noh play.
93
A Buddhist monk receives cassia seeds on a moonlit night (Bonso tsukiyo ni keishi o uku)
One of the Buddhist arhats, the Buddha's original disciples, is shown collecting magic seeds from the cassia trees on the Moon, thereby attaining immortality.[6]
94
Moon on the Sumida River
Mizuki Tatsunosuke, popular Kabuki actor of the Genroku era.
95
The moon's invention (Tsuki no hatsumei)
The scene depicts how Hōzōin In'ei, the founder of the Hōzōin-ryū, was inspired by the crescent moon reflected on the surface of the water and invented the crescent moon-shaped yari (Japanese spear).
96
Chofu village moon (Chofu sato no tsuki)
97
The moon and the abandoned old woman (Obasute no tsuki)
98
The moon's four strings (Tsuki no yotsu no o)
This scene depicts the famous poet and musician, Semimaru, tuning the strings of his lute at a mountain cottage.[6]
99
Saga Moor moon (Sagano no tsuki)
Kogō no Tsubone, daughter of Emperor Takakura, was an accomplished koto player, but had to flee fled an assassination attempt and fled to Saga. The emperor dispatched Minamoto no Nakakuni to find her, and recognized her by her exquisite koto playing. In this scene, he joins her with his flute, and convinces her to return to the capitol.[6]
100
Farmers celebrating the autumn moon
The haiku poet, Matsuo Basho, is said to have come upon two farmers celebrating the full moon, he composed the following verse:[6]
References
This article incorporates text by The Fitzwilliam Museum available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
^ abcdefghijklmTjardes, Tamara (2003). One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Japanese Woodblock Prints by Yoshitoshi. Museum of New Mexico Press; First Edition. ISBN0890134383.
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