100 Aspects of the Moon # 37 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Taiso) (1839-1892)

Woodblock Prints Title: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon # 37 A glimpse of the moon (Kaimami no tsuki)

1st Publication: September 1886

Size: 13-1/2" x 9" + Margins as shown

Date of this edition: September 1886

Publisher: Akiyama Buemon

Condition: Backed on an acid free album page. Left margin trimmed, affecting the seals. Small stains in the upper margin. Excellent colors and impression, good overall condition.

More about this print: A design that is irreverently known as "Peeping Tom". 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.

Pictures: Pictures are taken outdoor, in the shade, to reflect true colors, without any enhancements of any kind. The last picture is taken indoor, with a light behind the print, to reveal the exact paper grain, holes if any, or other possible flaws.