100 Aspects of the Moon # 80 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

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

Woodblock Prints Title: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon # 80 Moon of the filial Son (Koshi no tsuki)

1st Publication: November 1889

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

Date of this edition: November 1889

Publisher: Akiyama Buemon.

Condition: Little remnants from prior mounting, mild soiling, else very fine. Excellent colors, impression, and overall condition.

More about this print: Ono no Takamura (802-852 AD) was a scolar of literature and history who rose to high rank in the Imperial Court of emperor Saga. He is said to have had great respects for his parents. However, Takamura is usually pictured together with a monk who is sitting in flames, a scene from an Orpheus-like adventure in Hell.

Stevenson* therefore suggests that Yoshitoshi uses the iconography of a different story in this design. That of the Chinese filial son Ceng Shen (506-437 BC), who sensed that his mother needed him while he was gathering brushwood.

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.