100 Aspects of the Moon # 6 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

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

Woodblock Prints Title: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon # 6 The village of the Shi clan on a moonlit night (Shikason tsukiyo)

1st Publication: November 1885

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

Date of this edition: November 1885

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: Shi Jin, a fictitious martial arts instructor from the Chinese novel Shui hu Zhuan (The Water Margin), became an outlaw-hero when bandits attacked his village. He first captured them, but after hearing their story about corruption and suppression, joined them and fled to the marsh lands of the book title.

As Stevenson* points out, Shi Jin's nickname Kumonryu (the nine dragoned) reflects his spectacular tattoo pattern.

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.