User:Hillbillyholiday/100 aspects

A Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi) is a series of multi-coloured woodblock prints (nishiki-e) by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-92). Published by Akiyama Buemon between 1885 and 1892, the 100 Moon-themed prints feature various Japanese and Chinese historical events, mythology, and folklore.

The creation of mood according to the phase of the moon was exploited for its poetic and expressive possibilites. 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.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) is considered by many to be Japan's last great woodblock artist, and his final work, the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, is regarded as his greatest achievement.

Scholars believe that the order of the pictures in the album does not follow the order in which they were published, but instead their order in the indexes, although there are some variations.

redirects: Tsuki hyakkei, Tsuki hyakushi, 100 Views of the Moon, 100 Aspects of the Moon

holding back the night

with its increasing brilliance

the summer moon

– Yoshitoshi's death poem

Prints

№	Print	Name	Description
		Title page
1		The Courtesan Takao	The morning after a night with her lover, a courtesan hears the lonely call of the cuckoo. Once again he has had to travel back to the city, leaving her alone in the "pleasure district". She composes a wistful verse: "By now you must be near Komakata - a cuckoo calls." (printed October 1885)
2		Chang'e flees to the moon (Joga hongetsu tsuki)	According to one version of this Chinese legend, the Queen Mother of the West rewarded the husband of Chang'e with the elixir of immortality. She stole and drank it, and fled to heaven where she became the spirit of the moon. (printed October 1885)
3		Rising moon over Mount Nanping (Nanpeizan shogetsu)	Scene from the Chinese novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms shows Cao Cao (150-220 AD), at the time the most powerful ruler in northern China, standing in a small boat, overlooking the Yangtze River. If the crows flying towards the moon bring good news - as they in Asia often do - they are bringing it somewhere else. After several brilliant victories, Cao Cao was defeated in the year 208, in the decisive Battle of Red Cliffs on the Yangtze. Cao Cao was also an established poet who contributed to reshaping the poetry style of his time. The Red Cliffs reappear in print #81. (October 1885)
4		The Gion District (Gionmachi)	Scene from the famous kabuki play Chushingura, the young Oishi Rikiya delivers a letter containing news about the forty-seven Ronin to the Ichiriki Teahouse in Kyoto where his father, Oishi Yuranosuke, is secretly organizing a vendetta to avenge his master’s death. (printed October 1885)
5		Woman watching the shadow of a pine branch cast by the moon	A print illustrating a verse by haikai poet Takarai Kikaku (1661-1707): Bright moon across the tatami mats shadows of pine branches Elements includng the hairstyle and the round uchiwa fan, lead Stevenson to conclude that Yoshitoshi's design is a homage to Utamaro (1754-1806), a printmaker celebrated for his images of beautiful women (bijin-ga).
6		The village of the Shi clan on a moonlit night (Shikason tsukiyo)	Shi Jin, a fictitious martial arts instructor from the Chinese novel Shui hu Zhuan (The Water Margin), became an outlaw-hero when bandits attacked his village. He first captured them, but after hearing their story about corruption and suppression, joined them and fled to the marsh lands of the book title. As Stevenson* points out, Shi Jin's nickname Kumonryu (the nine dragoned) reflects his spectacular tattoo pattern. (printed November 1885)
7		Inaba Mountain moon (Inabayama no tsuki)	Scene from the Chronicles of the Taiko, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-98) (print #66), leads a successful advance party of seven against the supposedly impregnable Saitō clan castle atop Mount Inaba. Hideyoshi's brilliant career made him the prime candidate to become Shogun in 1585. In 1590 he was succeeded by his adopted son Hidetsugu (print #75), and took for himself the title of Taiko, or retired Regent, by which he is generally known. (printed December 1885)
8		Moonlight Patrol (Gekka no sekko)	another scene from the Chronicles of the Taiko, Saitō Toshimitsu is conducting surveillance along the Kamo River near Kyoto, before the attack on the Honnoji Temple in 1582. Toshimitsu and his father Saito Kuranosuke were retainers of Akechi Mitshuide (1526-82) who fought a treacherous war against his lord Oda Nobunaga. The story of Akechi Mitsuihide continues in print #19. The Saito men return in print #65. (printed December 1885)
9		Mountain moon after rain (Ugo no sangetsu)	From the 12th century tale of Soga no Goro Tokimune and his brother Juro who avenged their father's death by killing his murderer one rainy summer night on the slopes of Mount Fuji. Juro was killed in the fight. Goro was captured and taken before the shogun who had him decapitated. The cuckoo flying in front of the moon is a symbol of the transience of life.
10		Moon of pure snow at Asano River (Asanogawa seisetsu no tsuki)	The girl plunging into the icy Asano River with her hands clasped in prayer is Chikako. She hopes that her suicide will persuade government officials to release her father, Zeniya Gohei (1773-1855), from prison. However, her sacrifice fails to impress the authorities, and her father eventually dies in prison. Two startled cranes, often seen as a symbol of justice and longevity, are fleeing from the scene. Together with the reeds they form an essential part of the beautiful triangular design. Stevenson* notes that Yoshitoshi uses flying birds in several designs where death is present: e.g. prints #3, #9, and the present design. (December 1885)
11		Cooling off at Shijo (Shijo noryo)	Bathing in the cool waters of the Kamo river in midsummer was an age-old custom in Kyoto culture. Resturants built platforms over the shallow streambed of Kamo river were guests could dine, take pleasure in company, and enjoy the evening breeze. Here a young waitress is resting on one of the teahouse platforms near Shijo Bridge. (printed December 1885)
12		Moon above the sea at Daimotsu Bay: Benkei (Daimotsu kaijo 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 (Chronicle 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 Fuwa 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 brother Yoritomo and forced to flee the 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.
13		The cry of the fox (Konkai)	Konkai is the title of a Kyōgen, a comic interlude performed between Noh plays. A magical fox disguises itself as the old priest Hakuzosu and visits the priest's nephew, a hunter. After persuading the hunter to protect foxes, he leaves and slowly resumes his original form. As the story continues, a cry is heard when the not so cunning fox takes the bait in a trap, and is caught. (printed January 1886)
14		Tsunenobu and the demon	One autumn night, as the courtier Tsunenobu (1016-97 AD) watches the moon rise, he hears the sound of someone pounding cloth in the distance. Reminded of a famous Tang Chinese poem, he recites the following verse: "I listen to the sound of cloth being pounded as the moon shines serenely, and believe that here is someone else who has not yet gone to sleep." As Tsunenobu has finished a gigantic demon appears in the sky, and recites a couplet by the Tang poet Li Bai: "In the northern sky geese fly across Big Dipper - to the south cold robes are pounded under the moonlight." (printed January 1886)
15		Mount Yoshino midnight-moon (Yoshinoyama yowa no tsuki)	Under a clouded full moon, Iga no Tsubone exorcizes the spirit of Sasaki no Kiyotaka, an adviser to the exiled Emperor Go-Daigo. Kiyotaka encouraged the Emperor to fight the rebel forces of Ahikaga Takauji at Minatogawa in 1336, against the advice of General Masashige. After losng the battle, Go-Daigo fled to Mount Yoshino and Kiyotaka was forced to kill himself; his ghost haunted the Emperor's courtiers until it was confronted by Masashige's daughter-in-law, Iga no Tsubone. "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." (printed January 1886)
16		Michizane composes a poem by moonlight	Sugawara no Michizane (845-903 AD) was a courtier who was posthumously deified as Tenjin, the god of music, literature, and calligraphy. At age eleven, he composed the following poem in classical Chinese form: "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." (printed January 1886)
17		The moon at high tide (Ideshio no tsuki)	Scene from the Noh play Takasago, an old couple stands on the beach before they get into a boat and sail away. He is looking at the moon, and she is checking the tide. They are Jo and Uba, spirits of two ancient pine trees, and symbolize the happiness and fulfillment of a long, faithful marriage. In the play they would wear masks, but their cloths are in Noh style indeed. Stevenson* remarks that this design may have been shelved after January 1887 - the "printing date" - and published two months before Yoshitoshi's death, when he was perhaps too ill to fulfill new commissions. (published April 1892)
18		An iron cauldron in the moonlit night (Tsukiyo no kama)	In this scene Kofuna no Gengo and Koshi Hanzo attempt to steal a huge iron kettle at full moon. Not very bright. The design reminds us of some of the Hokusai manga. It is in fact in the style known as Toba-e, named after the famous scrolls with caricatures of animals and people in the Kozan temple near Kyoto, attributed to abbot Toba Sōjō (1053-1140), a Heian nobleman born as Kakuyu. (printed February 1886)
19		The moon of Ogurusu in Yamashiro (Yamashiro Ogurusu no tsuki)	General Akechi Mitsuhide escaped from the battlefield after his army was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (see print #7). As Mitsuhide fled to his home province, he was ambushed by a group of peasants hiding in the countryside near Ogurusu, and was killed with a bamboo spear. Allthough Hideyoshi was pleased that his opponent had been killed, he had seven farmers crucified as a warning for the rebellious peasants of Yamashiro Province, whom he feared. (printed February 1886)
20		Suzaku Gate moon (Suzakumon no tsuki)	Minamoto no Hiromasa (913-980) was renowned for his musical ability. Here he encounters a mysterious foreigner at Suzaku Gate, Kyoto, and plays a duet with him. (printed February 1886) 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.
21		Itsukushima moon (Itsukushima no tsuki)	A courtesan from the port town of Muro on the Seto Inland Sea drifts past the base of a huge torii, or sacred gate, off the shore of the Shinto shrine at Itsukushima island. She is partly hidden behind her oversized traveling hat, and the musical instrument at her feet may indicate that she has been involved in the yearly Kangensai festival of wind and string instruments. (February 1886)
22		Moon and Smoke (Enchu no tsuki)	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.
23		Faith in the third-day moon (Shinko no mikazuki)	Yamanaka Yukimori (16th century) was one of the Ten Heroes of the Amako Clan in Isumo Province. Here he is shown in full armor, wearing a Hozoin halberd (print #95), and a helmet with the crescent (or third-day) moon. This is often considered to have been Yukimori's personal choice. However, the moon-shaped maedate (figured plate) may also have been an intrinsic part of the Amako battle helmet, by which these warriors stood out in the field. (printed February 1886)
24		Moon of the pleasure quarters (Kuruwa no tsuki)	Hanami is the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers. Here, in Yoshiwara, Edo's prostitution-district famed for its cherry trees, a courtesan and her child attendant (kamuro) observe the falling blossoms (sakura). On her feet she wears tall, lacquered koma-geta, which distinguishes her from common geisha. (printed March 1886)
25		Gravemarker moon (Sotoba no tsuki)	Ono no Komachi, a famous beauty and poetess of the 9th century, is seated on a fallen stupa (a gravemarker dedicated to Buddha). This may be the scene from the Noh play Sotoba Komachi in which two priests ask themselves: "Is this Komachi that once was a bright flower - Komachi the beautiful, whose dark brows linked like young moons - Her face white-farded ever - Whose many, many damask robes filled cedar-scented halls?" Komachi is depicted looking at the moon, and wearing a damask robe that heavily contrasts with her battered straw hat. (printed March 1886)
26		Cassia-tree moon (Tsuki no katsura)	Wu Gang (Gobetsu in japanese) of the Han dynasty studied Taoist magical practices, but abused his power. As a punishment, he was forced eternally to cut the cassia trees on the moon. Sisyphean taskAs soon as he cut them, they grew back again. Stevenson* shows a print in which Wu Gang wears a green, rather than a blue tunic. (March 1886.)
27		Moon at the Yamaki Mansion (Yamaki yakata no tsuki)	Kato Kagekado was a retainer of Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-99). In this episode from the The Tale of the Heike Yoritomo has sent Kagekado to the mansion of Taira no Kanetaka at Yamaki, with the mission to assassinate him. Kagedo tricks Kanetaka into striking at his helmet, and then kills him. (printed March 1886)
28		Chikubushima moon (Chikubushima no tsuki)	Another episode from the Tale of the Heike, Taira no Tsunemasa visites the shrine of the goddess Benten on Chikubu Island one evening in the 1180s, and plays the biwa (a short-necked lute) so beautifully that the goddess appears and promises him victory over the Minamoto clan. Unfortunately Tsunemasa himself dies in the battle. (printed March 1886)
29		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, 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. "This stunning design was known in Europe, and has no doubt influenced the Art Nouveau movement." (printed March 1886.)
30		The moon through a crumbling window (Haso no tsuki)	Bodhidharma (Daruma in japanese), the founder of Zen Buddhism, was the son of an Indian king. He meditated for nine years before he became enlightened. The years gone by are represented by the crumbling, vine-clad walls. The moon shining trough the cave window is an allusion to enlightenment. Daruma is said to have lost the use of his legs after spending nine years in his cave, and is nowadays best known in Japan as a limbless, usually red-suited, self-righting doll. Daruma dolls are a symbol of optimism, good fortune and strong determination. (June 1886)
31		Mount Ji Ming moon (Keimeizan no tsuki)	Zi Fang (Zhang Liang) was a hero of the wars which led to the establishment of the Han dynasty in China in around 200 BC. According to one version of the story, Zhang Liang climbed Mount Ji Ming on the eve of the decisive battle, and played the flute so beautifully that the enemy soldiers became homesick. They fled their camp in large numbers, leaving their commander no other option than to commit suicide. (printed June 1886.)
32		Kitayama moon (Kitayama no tsuki)	Toyohara Sumiaki, court musician to Emperor Go-Kashiwabara (reigned 1500-25), encounters a pack of wolves on the Kitayama moors, north of Kyoto. He managed to escape unharmed by charming them with his wooden flute (shakuhachi). (printed June 1886)
33		Dawn moon of the Shinto rites (Shinji no zan­getsu)	The Sannō Matsuri is a traditional Shinto festival celebrated annually in Tokyo in June, on even-numbered years there is a procession called Shinkosai. The print shows a float with a dancer impersonating the Dragon King, preceded by another float with a crowing rooster on a drum, passing Edo castle. (printed June 1886)
34		The moon's inner vision (Shinkan no tsuki)	Here the blind warrior Taira no Tomoume uses second sight in a battle between his clan and the Minamoto. He holds a poem as a talisman which reads: "From darkness I have wandered lost on to a darker path - the moon of heart is becoming clouded." The fallen banner bears the crest of the Mori, who fought on the Minamoto side. (June 1886)
35		Mount Otowa moon (Otowayama no tsuki)	A scene from the Noh play Tamura. Three itinerant priests meet a man sweeping fallen cherry petals as they visit Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. He is supposed to have been the spirit of the warrior Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, who assisted the priest Enchin in founding Kiyomizu Temple on Mount Otawa. (printed June 1886)
36		Takakura moon (Takakura no tsuki)	Taira no Kiyomori established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. In 1180 the brother of the deposed Emperor Takakura, Prince Mochihito, and his companions, plotted against Kiyomori but were foiled in their scheme. Here, they flee from the Takakura mansion watched by Mochihito's retainer Hasebe no Nobutsura. Nobutsura was later captured, but even under torture did not tell of Mochito's whereabouts. Nobutsura survived, and after the Taira clan were defeated in 1185 he became Lord of Noto province.}} (printed August 1886)
37		A glimpse of the moon (Kaimami no tsuki)	Ko no Moronao, the chief retainer of the 14th century shogun Ashikaga no Takauji, fell in love with Lady Kaoyo, the wife of a court official, and bribed her maids to arrange for him to glimpse her after her bath. When Kaoyo rejected his advances, Moronao had her husband and his family executed. Moronao is also the villain in the Chushingura, the 18th century play about the Forty-seven Ronin, that was deliberately set back in time in order to avoid censorship. A design that is irreverently known as "Peeping Tom".(September 1886)
38		Ariko weeps as her boat drifts in the moonlight	A scene from the Noh play Ariko no Naishi, in which Ariko, a lady-in-waiting of the Heian court, prepares to drown herself. Disconsolate over an unrequited love, she recites a poem: How hopeless it is it would be better for me to sink beneath the waves perhaps then I could see my man from Moon Capital. The Moon Capital seems to have been imagined poetically either as the moon itself, or as a moon-illumined mountain where the courtiers were "dwellers above the clouds". (printed September 1886)
39		Inamura Promontory moon at daybreak (Inamurgasaki no akebono no tsuki)	In 1333 general Nitta Yoshisada finds the route to the Hojo stronghold in Kamakura blocked by the Inamura cliffs and an enemy fleet of warships. He offers prayers and his treasured sword to the sea gods, and asks them safe passage for his army. The tide recedes considerably, causing a corresponding retreat of the army fleet, and creating a passage way to the vulnerable sea side of Kamakura castle. The castle is taken, and Emperor Go-Daigo restored. (printed September 1886)
40		The Moon of the Milky Way (Ginga no tsuki)	According to Chinese legend, the constellations known in the West as Aguila and Lyra represent the lovers Niu Lang (Cowherd) and Zhi Nu (Weaving Girl). They were separated by the Emperor of Heaven and placed at different ends of the Milky Way. They are only allowed to meet on the seventh evening of the seventh month of each year. A celebrating of the lovers’ meeting is the subject of the yearly Tanabata Festival. (printed September 1886)
41		Moon over the pine forest of Mio
42		Moon of the enemy's lair (Zokuso no tsuki)
43		Theater-district dawn moon (Shibaimachi no akatsuki)	(ukiyo-e?)Shibaimachi, Tokyo's theatre district at daybreak/dawn. Theatergoers, diners, teahouse guests and nightworkers(?) head home after a night of merriment. The blackened teeth and shaved eyebrows of the woman in the foreground indicate that she is married. kabuki theatre signs are silhoutted against the purple morning sky.
44		Akazome Emon viewing the moon from her palace chambers	Akazome Emon (956–1041), celebrated poet of the Heian court, looks out restlessly from her room. She has been awake all night awaiting her lover who never showed. Her poem reads: "I wish I had gone to bed immediately - but now the night has passed and I watch the moon descend." (probably printed in 1887)
45		Hazy-night moon (Oboroyo no tsuki)
46		Bon Festival Moon (Bon no tsuki)
47		Kintō picks a plum branch in the moonlight	Fujiwara no Kintō (966-1041), aka Shijo-dainagon, was a poet that was highly admired by his contemporaries. He was also a musician, a scholar, and a Heian court official. Snow has fallen on the buildings of the imperial palace during the night, and Kinto has gone out into the moonlit courtyard to pluck and admire a flowering plum branch. His verse reads: "In the midst of glimmering whiteness, among the night’s moon shadows - I part the snow and pluck plum blossoms." (published January 1887)
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)
51		Lady Gosechi (Gosechi no myobu)
52		Mount Tobisu dawn moon (Tobisuyama gyogetsu)
53		Sumiyoshi full moon (Sumiyoshi no meigetsu)
54		Chinese beauty holding a stringed instrument
55		Fukami Jikyu challenges the moon
56		Gen'i viewing the moon from his castle
57		Reading by the moon (Dokusho no tsuki)
58		Does the cuckoo too announce its name from above the clouds?
59		In the moonlight under the trees a beautiful woman comes (Getsumei rinka bijin majiru)	An elegantly dressed Chinese woman represents the spirit of the plum tree that appeared to the Chinese poet Zhao Shixiong. (published March 1888)
60		Received back into Moon Palace (Gekkyo no mukae)	A scene from the Taketori monogatari (Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), an old bamboo cutter watches in awe as heavenly messengers lead the girl he adopted and raised, Princess Kaguyahime, daughter of the Moon Queen, back to her home. (published March 1888)
61		Gojo Bridge moon (Gojobashi no tsuki)
62		Moon of Enlightenment (Godo no tsuki)	Hotei, the god of happiness, demonstrates the Zen Buddhist wisdom: "All instruction is but a finger pointing to the moon; and those whose gaze is fixed upon the pointer will never see beyond. Even let him catch sight of the moon, and still he cannot see its beauty." (published April 1888)
63		The moon of the moor (Harano no tsuki)	Fujiwara no Yasumasa (958-1036) a governor and musician charms his outlaw brother Hakamadare Yasusake by playing the flute. The bandit had planned to rob him, but the music was so beautiful he could not draw his sword. When Yoshitoshi in this series quotes from earlier work, as in this case from his famous 1868 triptych, he often does so with great restraint. See also prints #61, #70, and #85. In this design, the perspective from behind Yasumasa's back, rather than looking him in the face, works admirably well, and helps to condense the scene into one single sheet. (published May 1888.)
64		Nakamaro views the moon in China
65		Katada Bay moon (Katadaura no tsuki)
66		Shizu Peak moon (Shizugatake no tsuki)
67		Joganden moon (Joganden no tsuki)
68		Moon of the Southern Sea (Nankai no tsuki)
69		Seson temple moon (Sesonji no tsuki)
70		Mount Ashigara moon (Ashigarayama no tsuki)
71		Ishiyama moon (Ishiyama no tsuki)
72		Mount Miyaji moon (Miyajiyama no tsuki)
73		Jade Rabbit - Sun Wukong (Gyokuto - Songoku)	A scene from the epic classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. Sun Wukong, better known in the West as the Monkey King, carries his magic staff and dances with the Jade Rabbit, the white rabbit that is supposed to live in the moon. (published November 1886.)
74		Lady Chiyo and the broken water bucket	Kaga no Chiyo (1703-75) one of the greatest female haiku poets, perhaps best known for her poem: A morning glory the well bucket-entangled I ask for water The overgrown well-bucket is a frequently illustrated subject in Japanese pictorial art. Stevenson believes that this inspired Yoshitoshi to illustrate an anonymous verse: "The bottom of the bucket which Lady Chiyo filled has fallen out - the moon has no home in the water."
75		Hidetsugu in exile
76		Shinobugaoka moon (Shinobugaoka no tsuki)
77		Lunacy - unrolling letters (Tsuki no monogurui - fumihiroge)	After her lover died, Ochiyo, a young maidservant in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's household, became deranged by grief and traipsed the streets of Kyoto "rolling and unrolling" his letters" Here, she stands barefooted on Gojo Bridge, "staring vacantly past the letters that are spiraling towards the moon." (printed in 1889)
78		Rainy moon (Uchu no tsuki)
79		Dawn moon and tumbling snow (Seppu no gyogetsu)
80		Moon of the filial Son (Koshi no tsuki)
81		Moon of the Red Cliffs (Sekiheki no tsuki)	Su Shi was a scholar, calligrapher, poet, and statesman of the Song dynasty. Often at odds with his political masters, and was exiled more than once. It was during his first exile (1080-86) that he took some friends on a nightly boat trip to the Red Cliffs on the Yangtze River, and composed one of the most famous poems of Chinese literature. print #3
82		Kenshin watching geese in the moonlight	Uesugi Terutoa (1530—78), also known by his Buddhist priest name Kenshin, was famed for his military expertise and strategy, and for the legendary rivalry with Takeda Shingen (print #41). Here he is seen on the eve of a successful battle on the island of Sado, watching a flight of birds pass the midnight full moon, and moved to compose a poem that reads: "Frost fills the camp and the autumn air is still - lines of returning geese cross the moon of the third hour." (printed April 1890)
83		General Akashi Gidayu
84		Cloth-beating moon (Kinuta no tsuki)
85		Moon of the Lonely House (Hitotsuya no tsuki)
86		Rendezvous by moonlight
87		Moon of Kintoki's mountain (Kintokiyama no tsuki)
88		A country couple enjoys the moonlight with their infant son
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.
90		Kazan temple moon (Kazanji no tsuki)
91		Musashi Plain moon (Musashino no tsuki)
92		Monkey-music moon (Sarugaku no tsuki)
93		A Buddhist monk receives cassia seeds on a moonlit night (Bonso tsukiyo ni keishi o uku)
94		Moon on the Sumida River
95		The moon’s invention (Tsuki no hatsumei)
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)
99		Saga Moor moon (Sagano no tsuki)	A scene from Kogo, a Noh play. Heroine Kogo no Tsubone (1159-80) is a beautiful and accomplished koto player, and a concubine of Emperor Takakura. When her life is threatened by Taira no Kiyomori, because an eventual son would endanger the position of the Taira clan, she flees to a remote cottage in Saga. This scene illustrates the moment when Minamoto no Nakakuni, who was sent by the emperor to find her, recognizes her koto playing, and draws out his flute to answer her music. (printed 1891)
100		Farmers celebrating the autumn moon	In this scene, haiku master Matsuo Bashō (1644-94), the most famous poet of the Edo period, meets two farmers celebrating the mid-autumn moon festival. Basho renounced the cosmopolitan literary scene, instead electing to wander the countryside looking for inspiration. The Haiku reads: "Since the crescent moon, I have been waiting for tonight." (printed 1891)

References

[[Category:Ukiyo-e print series]]