100 Aspects of the Moon # 61 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

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

Woodblock Prints Title: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon # 61 Gojo Bridge moon (Gojobashi no tsuki)

1st Publication: April 1888

Size: Oban; 13-1/2" x 9-1/4" (34 x 23.5 cm)

Date of this edition: April 1888

Publisher: Akiyama Buemon.

Condition: Backed on an acid free album page, else very fine. Excellent colors and impression, very good overall condition.

More about this print: A scene from the Noh play "Benkei on the Bridge". The child Minamoto Ushiwaka in mid jump, defending the passage on Gojo Bridge in Kyoto against the warrior-priest Benkei. When Benkei cannot defeat Ushikawa, and learns of his high birth, he humbly surrenders. Ushiwaka later became the legendary General Minamoto Yoshitsune (1159-1189), and Benkei his loyal follower. Below is Yoshitoshi's 1881 triptych with Benkei far left, ducking Ushikawa's fan.

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.