100 Aspects of the Moon # 75 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

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

Woodblock Prints Title: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon # 75 Hidetsugu in exile

1st Publication: December 1889

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

Date of this edition: december 1889

Publisher: Akiyama Buemon.

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

More about this print: We see Toyotomi Hidetsugu (1568-1595) and a companion, imprisoned in Mount Koya Temple, not long before their death. Hidetsugu was the adopted son of Hideyoshi (print #66), but his military performance displeased his father. After the birth of Hideyoshi's own son in 1593, he fell into disgrace, and rumors began about his moral behaviour, including repeated and unjust murders.

He was exiled, and forced to commit suicide. His family and household, including three wakashu (male lovers – not uncommon among Samurai) were executed. Hidetsugu’s poem reads: "Did I ever imagine that as the clouds of the high autumn sky cleared - I would view the moon through a bamboo lattice window?" Perhaps he is referring to the sky of his mind.

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.