100 Aspects of the Moon # 88 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

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

Woodblock Prints Title: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon # 88 Peasant Couple by moonlight

1st Publication: October 1890

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

Date of this edition: October 1890

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 peasant family - the woman breastfeeding her baby, the man enjoying his banshaku or evening drink - relaxing at the end of the day. The poem may have been written by Keika, Yoshitoshi's friend and calligrapher:

"Pleasure is this - to lie under the moonflower bower - the man in his shirt, the woman in her under dress.” Stevenson* notes that it may be a homage to a similar scene by Edo period artist Kusumi Morikage.

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.