One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Japanese Woodblock Prints by Yoshitoshi

111 Pages·2003·79.46 MB·English

by  Tamara Tjardes

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Acknowledgments Note on the Organization of Prints
Thesignificanceofamuseumtoitscommunityismeasuredinthequality For the purpose ofthis publication the images are arranged thematically
and relevance of its collections, collections shaped in large part by the inthree broad categories: Literature, Myth, and Music; The Warrior; and
supportofindividualsandinstitutions.TheMuseumofInternationalFolk The Floating World. The arrangement follows the design of the exhibit
Art is fortunate to have been the recipient of an extraordinary gift to its installation "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Japanese Woodblock
collections.Overalongperiodofsometwenty-sixyears,ElseandJoseph PrintsbyYoshitoshi," heldattheMuseumofInternational FolkArtfrom
Chapman shared a devotion to collecting all one hundred woodblock July15 toOctober 14, 2001.Thenumbersontheprintsrefer totheorder
prints in the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, by Tsukioka in which the prints appeared in the exhibit. The date given with each of
Yoshitoshi,oneofthemostimportantartistsofnineteenth-centuryJapan. theindividualprintsisthedateitwasoriginallyissuedtothepublic.
This generous donation demonstrates the Chapmans' support of the
museum's mission to document and interpret the arts and cultures of
peoplearoundtheworld.Theprintsin OneHundredAspectsoftheMoon
represent a unique and valuable resource for understanding everyday life
andloreintraditionalJapaneseculture. Copyright©2003MuseumofNewMexicoPress.Allrightsreserved.No
part of this book may he published in any form or by any means
ThepublicationOneHundredAspectsoftheMoon wasmadepossible whatsoever, with the exception of brief excerpt for review, without the
bythecombinedeffortsofmanydedicatedindividuals.Theprojectcould expressedwrittenconsentofthepublisher.
nothavebeenrealized withouttheleadershipofDr.JoyceIce,directorof
the Museum of International Folk Art, and the enthusiasm and
encouragement of the Museum of New Mexico Press. I am grateful to One Hundred Aspects of the Moonis a series of one hundred woodblock
John Tinker and Susan Hyde Holmes, whose elegant design sensibilities printsbyYoshitoshiinthecollectionoftheMuseumofInternationalFolk
were the inspiration for this publication. Blair Clark, Museum of New Art,MuseumofNewMexico,SantaFe.
Mexico photographer, skillfully photographed theprints. I offer mygreat
appreciation to Paul Smutko, our collections manager, and to paper
conservator Patricia Morris, whose careful documentation and ProjectdirectionbyMaryWachs
preservation of each print ensure that many future generations will be DesignedbyBruceTaylorHamilton
able to enjoy this superb collection. In addition, several colleagues and PhotographybyBlairClark
friends provided general counsel. A very special thanks goes to David ManufacturedinKorea
Mandel, who makes every day a pleasure and every goal reachable.
Finally, I am especially indebted to two of the foremost scholars on 10987654321
Yoshitoshi, Roger Keyes and John Stevenson, whose years of thorough MuseumofNewMexicoPress
research and impeccable scholarship on this most complex artist and his PostOfficeBox2087
extensivebodyofworkhavebeenagreatinspirationtomeandcountless SantaFe,NewMexico87504
others who share the fascination with Ukiyo-e, pictures of the floating ISBN:0-89013-413-8
world.
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Content
Introduction 4
Part One:
Literature, Myth, and Music 6 (1 – 40)
Part Two:
The Warrior 47 (41 – 71)
Part Three:
The Floating World 79 (72 – 100)
Afterword 108
by Joe Chapman
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Introduction
During this era, woodblock prints were viewed as cheap, expendable
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892)
amusementwhollyoutsidetherealmofseriousart.Infact,Ukiyo-ewas the
TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI WAS BORN in the city of Edo (now
first school of art in Japan whose artists relied on mass production and
Tokyo)shortlybeforeJapan'sviolenttransformationfromamedievalto
mainstream sales of their work as opposed to serving a few elite clients. It
a modern society. In the mid-nineteenth century,
wasn't until the Post-Impressionists in Europe and America demonstrated
pressures fromtheUnited StatesandEurope brought
enthusiastic interest in these prints that the rest of the world became
anendtoJapan's twohundred yearsofself-imposed
isolation. In 1868, a pivotal period began known aware of this fascinating genre. Ironically, for many in the West, Ukiyo-e
as the Meiji Restoration, which was marked by the continues to be their only exposure to Japanese art. And, in retrospect,
return of imperial power, heightened militarism, a Yoshitoshi and his predecessors can be seen as the originators of a major
new constitution, and industrial advancement, as well as social and popular culture tradition that continues in present-day Japan in a variety
politicalreform.Inthemidstofshiftingvalues, woodblock printartists of forms, including manga (comic book art) and anime (animated
such as Yoshitoshi struggled to create images to satisfy the public's cartoons).
rapidlychangingtastes.
Yoshitoshi'sexperienceofthesavageryofhistimes,especiallyearlyin
During the Edo period (1600-1868), woodblock prints, or Ukiyo-e
his career, was exorcised through a prolific series of prints reflecting the
(literally, "pictures of the floating world"), became one of the most
violence of battling warriors, demons, and murderers. Later in his career,
popular and inexpensive visual art forms in Japan. From the time the
however,Yoshitoshi's workunderwentadistinctive stylisticchange.Bythe
first monochrome prints were published in the 1600s, Ukiyo-e
1880s, the period of One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, he was
represented a unique collaboration between publishers, artists, and the
experimenting freely with Western concepts of space, perspective, and
public. These prints were available primarily in the cities, where
dissonant color combinations. His treatment of movement and facial
publishers strung upnewlydesignedsingle-sheetprintsalongtheirshop
features revealed a more studied and quiet observation of the human
fronts and signboards announced upcoming series. Middlemen
form and emotions. While continuing to choose native themes for his
connectedpublisherstosmallershopsinandaroundcitiesandarranged
prints, Yoshitoshi's approach to creating individualized portraits of
with street vendors to display prints in open-air kiosks. Townspeople
townspeople, farmers, courtesans, and warriors became innovative and
and visitors bought them as gifts and souvenirs, sometimes competing
groundbreaking.
tocollectalltheprintsinaseries.Thefluctuatinginterestsoftheurban
merchantclasslargelydictatedthesubjectmatterin woodblockprints.
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As the Meiji period (1868-1912) came to a close, woodblock print manifestations, was worshiped, celebrated, and feared. In preindustrial
artists, who typically also worked as book and newspaper Japan, thephasesofthemoonformedthebasisofthecalendarsystem,with
illustrators,facedincreasingcompetitionforthepublic'sattentionfrom the new moon marking the first day of each month and the full moon
thenewlyintroduced arts of photography and lithography. In spite of followingtwoweekslater.Thosefamiliarwiththissystemcancorrelatethe
this, at thetimeofhisdeathYoshitoshiwasstillconsideredtheleading date ofa specific event with the corresponding phase of the moon. Even in
designeramong his contemporaries. And today, with a resurgence of the fast-paced, high-tech world of modern Japan, people honor the full
interest in and respect for his brilliance, Yoshitoshi is universally moon on the night of August 1 by the lunar calendar. On this night of
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celebratedasoneofthegreatmastersoftheUkiyo-etradition. "moon viewing,"or tsukimi, peoplearrangedumplings,eulalia,and seasonal
fruitsinritualofferingsforfutureabundantharvests.
Yoshitoshiusedthephasesofthe moonand theirsymbolismas a com-
One Hundred Aspects of the Moon
mentary on the human condition. The artist's own experiences with
Yoshitoshi's series, One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, completed
poverty and mental illness instilled in him a sense of compassion and a
shortly before his death in 1892 and published between 1885 and
desire to explore the depth and range of the human condition. While the
1892, epitomizes therestraint and subtlety that markhis mature work.
Againstthebackdrop ofanationalpolicyofwesternization, Yoshitoshi sense of tranquility that Yoshitoshi seemed to achieve in his last years is
offered hisaudienceapilgrimagetoJapan'sgloriouspast.Theseriesof evidentinOneHundredAspectsoftheMoon, thereisalsounderlyingdark-
onehundredindividualwoodblockprintsdepictsfiguresfromJapanese ness and loneliness that haunt the viewer. In a country that was no longer
and Chinese mythology, folklore, history, literature, and theater. Each
the old Japan and not yet the new Japan, such complexities had great
subjectiscapturedatamomentintimeandheldsuspended byapoetic
appeal.
dialogue with the moon. The Moon series was so popular that
townspeople were said tohave lined up before dawn to buy a print of
Holdingbackthenight
thelatestimage.
Withitsincreasingbrilliance
Reverence for the moon has a rich cultural history in Japan. In a
Thesummermoon
predominantlyagrariansociety,thepowerofthemoon,inallits
(Yoshitoshi'sdeathpoem)
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Part One:
Literature, Myth, and Music
HISTORICAL LITERATURE AND FOLKTALES, typically the cansymbolize acomplete journey. Suchsymbolic movementand gesture
subjects of traditional theater, provided Yoshitoshi with rich resources areevidentintheMoonseries.
particularly well-suited to the lyricaland melancholic In One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, Yoshitoshi recalls subjects from
mood of the Moon series. In his later years, Indian and Chinese legends, heroes of classic novels, famous musicians,
Yoshitoshi's life and art were greatly influenced by and masters of haiku. In these prints, music and poetry seem to form the
theaestheticsofclassicalNohdrama,oneofthemost stage on which the characters perform. And, similar to the construct of a
beautiful of Japanese literary forms. Noh, which Noh play, the figures in the Moon series are rarely portrayed at the instant
developed out of several dance–drama forms such as folk dance and of a climactic deed but rather at a moment just preceding it or in poetic
temple entertainment infused with moral instruction, represents the recollectionofsomepastevent.
essence of understatement and economy of gesture and movement,
whereonestep
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1
RISING MOON OVER
MOUNT NANPING
(Nanpiezanshogetsu)
October1885
C
aoCao(A.D.155-200),apowerfulandtreacherousChinese
militaryleaderandcentralfigureinRomanceoftheThree
Kingdoms(Sanguoyanyi),isshownherecrossingtheYangtze
Riverasafullmoonrises. Thefollowingdaythedefiantwarrioris
defeatedintheBattleoftheRedCliffs.
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MOON
OF THE
ENEMY'S LAIR
(Zokusänotsuki)
1886
O
neofJapan'searliestwarriorheroeswasO-Usunomiko,
"LittlePrinceUsu."Inreality,thecharacterO-Usuwasa
compositeofseveralextraordinaryhistoricalgenerals. Inthestory
illustratedhere,PrinceUsu,disguisedasawoman,infiltratesthe
palaceofenemychieftains,killstheirleaders,andeventually
conquerstheirlands.
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3
THE "YUGAO"
CHAPTER FROM
THE TALE OF GENJI
(Genjiyugaonomaki)
March1886
O
ntheeleventh-centuryHeiancourt,intriguesandloveaffairs
preoccupiedtheratherisolatedaristocracy. TheTaleof
Genji(Genjimonogatari),writtenin1021byLadyMurasaki
Shikibu,capturestheessenceofthesepoeticandself-indulgent
courtiers. HerethetragicghostofYugao,oneofyoungPrince
Genji'slovers,glidesthroughagracefulvinebearingflowersofthe
samename. Aftermakinglovetotheprince,thelovelyandsweet
Yugaodiedsuddenly,havingbeencursedbyajealousformer
mistress.
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RECEIVED BACK INTO
MOON PALACE
(Gekkyunomukae)
March1888
T
aleoftheBambooCutter(Taketorimonogatari)tellsofan
oldbamboobasketmakerandhischildlesswifewhoadopt
anabandonedbabygirl. Incelebrationofherradiantbeauty,the
couplenamedherKaguyahime,or"ShiningPrincess."Many
suitors,includingtheemperor,soughtherhandinmarriage. She
finallyrevealedthatshewasthedaughterofJoga,Queenofthe
Moon,andthatshehadtoreturntoherrealmintheheavens. As
herattendantsescortPrincessKaguyabacktothemoon,theold
bamboocutterpleadsforhertostay.
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