SESON TEMPLE MOON, CAPTAIN YOSHITAKA from the collection of Jerome Lion

SESON TEMPLE MOON, CAPTAIN YOSHITAKA, 1888

Color woodblock print on paper

Vertical Oban 36.2 x 24.8 cm

Japan, dated 1888
Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical oban. Signed Yoshitoshi with seal Taiso; publisher Akiyama Buemon. Title Sesonji no tsuki - Shosho Yoshitaka (Seson temple moon – Captain Yoshitaka), number 69 from the series Tsuki no hyakushi (One Hundred Aspects of the Moon).
This composition depicts the shosho (minor captain in the imperial guard) and poet Fujiwara no Yoshitaka (951-974) at the Sesonji Temple grounds outside Kyoto. Dressed in courtly attire, he is shown here sitting deep in thought in an extensive garden on a moonlit night.
The Heian Period court poet, Yoshitaka, is included in the classic 13th century anthology Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets). Yoshitaka gained recognition in court at the age of 12, showing great skill composing renga - poetry in which two people respond to one another in verse. His older brother Agechika was a poet as well. It became clear early in their lives that Yoshitaka was the more talented of the two, at which point he gave up poetry out of deference to his older sibling. Tragically, both brothers would die on the same evening in 974 during a smallpox epidemic.
This print is part of Yoshitoshi's famous series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, which consists of one hundred prints with the moon as a unifying motif and depicts scenes from traditional Chinese and Japanese history and lore. Prints from the series were released individually or in groups every few months, with the final image completed shortly before Yoshitoshi's death. The series proved tremendously popular, with patrons lining up to purchase the new releases as soon as they became available. Today, One Hundred Aspects of the Moon remains Yoshitoshi's most well-known work.
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) was one of the leading woodblock print artists during the Meiji era (1868-1912) and one of the last to work in the traditional ukiyo-e manner. Born in Edo (today's Tokyo), he showed a strong interest in classical Japanese literature and history. When he was 11, he became a student at Kuniyoshi Utagawa's studio. Under his teacher's guidance, he showed exquisite draftsmanship skills and learned how to draw from life, something not necessarily part of the training schools of painting and illustration in Japan.
Museum comparison:
A closely related print, with similar seals, is in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, accession number 258.2012.69.

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From Jerome Lion

AYAOKA YUSHIN (有真綾岡)

TO UPDATE !!! Tōshōgu Omitōshi, 東照宮御見透し; A view of the Tōshōgu shrine- from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

Color woodblock print on paper

Ōban (大判) 36,8 cm x 25,3cm (14,48 x 9,96 inches)
AYAOKA YUSHIN (有真綾岡)

TO UPDATE !!! Tōshōgu Omitōshi, 東照宮御見透し; A view of the Tōshōgu shrine- from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

Color woodblock print on paper

Ōban (大判) 36,8 cm x 25,3cm (14,48 x 9,96 inches)
AYAOKA YUSHIN (有真綾岡)

TO UPDATE !!! Tōshōgu Omitōshi, 東照宮御見透し; A view of the Tōshōgu shrine- from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

Color woodblock print on paper

Ōban (大判) 36,8 cm x 25,3cm (14,48 x 9,96 inches)
AYAOKA YUSHIN (有真綾岡)

TO UPDATE !!! Tōshōgu Omitōshi, 東照宮御見透し; A view of the Tōshōgu shrine- from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

Color woodblock print on paper

Ōban (大判) 36,8 cm x 25,3cm (14,48 x 9,96 inches)
AYAOKA YUSHIN (有真綾岡)

Sōrintō (双輪塔) - from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

Color woodblock print on paper

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Ogata Gekko

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TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI

RECEIVED BACK INTO MOON PALACE, BAMBOO CUTTER, 1888

Color woodblock print on paper

Vertical oban 36 x 24 cm

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About the artist

TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI

1839-1892

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892)
A master of late ukiyo-e and one of the most innovative artists of the Meiji era, Yoshitoshi is celebrated for his dramatic compositions, psychological depth, and technical refinement. A pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi, he began his career in the 1850s and worked through Japan’s turbulent transition from Edo to Meiji. His prints explore themes of heroism, beauty, folklore, and violence, blending traditional woodblock aesthetics with a modern sensibility. Major series include One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi, 1885–1892), New Forms of Thirty-six Ghosts (Shinkei Sanjūrokkaisen, 1889–1892), and Twenty-eight Famous Murders with Verse (Eimei nijūhasshūku, 1866–1869). Though he faced hardship and mental illness later in life, Yoshitoshi’s work marked the final flowering of ukiyo-e and influenced generations of modern Japanese artists.

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Additional Artworks

TO UPDATE !!! Tōshōgu Omitōshi, 東照宮御見透し; A view of the Tōshōgu shrine- from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

TO UPDATE !!! Tōshōgu Omitōshi, 東照宮御見透し; A view of the Tōshōgu shrine- from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

TO UPDATE !!! Tōshōgu Omitōshi, 東照宮御見透し; A view of the Tōshōgu shrine- from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

TO UPDATE !!! Tōshōgu Omitōshi, 東照宮御見透し; A view of the Tōshōgu shrine- from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

Sōrintō (双輪塔) - from "Nice views of Nikko" serie - Nikkō Shōkei, c. 1892

Ferry Boat for Samurai, Farmers, Artisans, and Merchants, 1892

100 Fuji, Night Attack of Soga, c. 1892

RECEIVED BACK INTO MOON PALACE, BAMBOO CUTTER, 1888

About the artist

TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI