''One Hundred Aspects of the Moon'' or in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

is a collection of 100 ōban size

ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surfac ...

woodblock print Woodblock printing or block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper. Each page or image is create ...

s by Japanese artist

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Yoshitoshi ( ja, 月岡芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ; 30 April 1839 – 9 June 1892) was a Japanese printmaker. Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005)"Tsukoka Kōgyō"in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 1000. Yoshitoshi h ...

printed in batches, starting in 1885 until 1892. 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 is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

and

Noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...

theatre, and even contemporary 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.

List of prints

References

External links

Series on the Diet Collection

Descriptions of each print

{{ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e print series 19th-century prints