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71. Ishiyama moon (Ishiyama no tsuki)Lady Murasaki is usually pictured in a violet robe (murasaki may be translated as "violet", or "purple", or "lavender"), sitting at her writing table in Ishiyama Temple, and looking out over Lake Biwa under a full moon. Yoshitoshi chooses a similar setting, but substitutes a mountain landscape for the lake. Murasaki Shikibu is thought to be the author of the world’s first novel Genji monogatari ("The Tale of Genji"), of which chapter 4 is the subject of plate #29. The origin of her name, her parentage, and the dates of her birth and death are somewhat of a mystery. The novel was supposedly finished in 1004 AD. To date, her room can be admired in Ishiyama Temple near Kyoto, although its authenticity is debatable. (printed October 1889)
71. Луна Ishiyama (Ishiyama никакой tsuki)
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72. Mount Miyaji moon (Miyajiyama no tsuki)After the Hogen Rebellion in 1156, the courtier Fujiwara no Moronaga (1137-1192) was briefly exiled to the island of Shikoku. That autumn he consoled himself with a visit to Mount Miyaji where, while playing his biwa, a suijin or water goddess appeared. (published November 1889)
72. Луна Горы Мияджи (Miyajiyama никакой tsuki)
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73. Jade Rabbit - Sun Wukong (Gyokuto - Songoku)Sun Wukong, known in the West as the Monkey King, is the main character in the classical Chinese epic novel "Journey to the West". In this tale he accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a mission to collect Buddhist sutras from India. Songoku achieved immortality by stealing and eating empress Xi Wangmu's peaches of longevity. Here he carries his magic staff and dances with the Jade Rabbit, the white rabbit that is supposed to live in the moon. (published November 1886.)
73. Нефритовый Кролик - Солнце Wukong (Gyokuto - Songoku)
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74. Lady Chiyo and the broken water bucketKaga no Chiyo (1703-1775) was a Japanese poet of the Edo period, and widely regarded as one of the greatest female haiku poets. She began writing haiku poetry at the age of 7, and became a disciple of the great poet Matsuo Basho at 12. She is perhaps best known for her poem: "A morning glory twined round my bucket - I ask for water". The overgrown well-bucket is a frequently illustrated subject in Japanese pictorial art. Once more, Yoshitoshi makes a different choice. His picture illustrates an anonymous verse, perhaps by Yoshitoshi himself, merely referring to that famous bucket: "The bottom of the bucket which Lady Chiyo filled has fallen out - the moon has no home in the water." (November 1889)
74. Леди Чиио и ведро неспокойного моря
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75. Hidetsugu in exileWe see Toyotomi Hidetsugu (1568-1595) and a companion, imprisoned in Mount Koya Temple, not long before their death. Hidetsugu was the adopted son of Hideyoshi (print #66), but his military performance displeased his father. After the birth of Hideyoshi's own son in 1593, he fell into disgrace, and rumors began about his moral behaviour, including repeated and unjust murders. He was exiled, and forced to commit suicide. His family and household, including three wakashu (male lovers – not uncommon among Samurai) were executed. Hidetsugu’s poem reads: "Did I ever imagine that as the clouds of the high autumn sky cleared - I would view the moon through a bamboo lattice window?" Perhaps he is referring to the sky of his mind. (December 1889)
75. Hidetsugu в изгнании |
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76. Shinobugaoka moon (Shinobugaoka no tsuki)A young samurai, Gyokuensai, pays a nightly visit to Shinobugaoka (now Ueno park in Tokyo) during the cherry blossom viewing season. He raises his sleeve as if to shield himself when a sudden gust of cold wind catches the cherry blossom petals, and sways the hanging kimono. (printed in 1889)
76. Луна Shinobugaoka (Shinobugaoka никакой tsuki)
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77. Lunacy - unrolling letters (Tsuki no monogurui - fumihiroge)Ochiyo was a young maidservant in the household of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. One day she received news that her lover had died, and went mad with grief. She wandered around Kyoto, rolling and unrolling his letters. Here Ochiyo stands barefooted on Gojo Bridge, staring vacantly past the letters that are spiraling towards the moon. (printed in 1889)
77. Невменяемость - разворачивание писем (Tsuki никакой monogurui - fumihiroge)
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78. Rainy moon (Uchu no tsuki)When the Emperor Go-Daigo was captured by the Hojo family and exiled in 1331, his retainer Kojima Takanori followed the convoy disguised as a farmer. One rainy night he carved a message in a cherry tree that only the Emperor would understand. For that purpose he used a Chinese poem referring the the abduction of a Chinese emperor who was eventually liberated by a loyal follower. Go-Daigo saw the message, and gained courage from it. (published in 1889)
78. Дождливая луна (Uchu никакой tsuki)
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79. Dawn moon and tumbling snow (Seppu no gyogetsu)In the final act from the Kabuki play Chushingura, “The Attack on Morono’s Mansion”, one snowy night the revengeful Ronin begin their attack. Kobayashi Heihachiro is sleeping at his home nearby. Disguising himself as a maid, he rushes in to defend his lord. In this scene Yoshitoshi focusses on Heihachiro, who is heavily outnumbered by four of the Ronin, among which the young Oishi Rikya (print #4). It is obvious, however, that they are not the hero's from this scene. Heihachiro fends off his attackers with great courage, but is eventually killed. (printed in 1889.)
79. Луна рассвета и падающий снег (Seppu никакой gyogetsu)
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80. Moon of the filial Son (Koshi no tsuki)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. (printed in 1889)
80. Луна сыновнего Сына (Koshi никакой tsuki)
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81. Moon of the Red Cliffs (Sekiheki no tsuki)Su Shi was a scholar, calligrapher, poet, and statesman of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), who was often at odds with his political masters, and was exiled more than once. It was during his first exile (1080-1086) that he took some friends on a nightly boat trip to the Red Cliffs on the Yangtze River, and composed one of the most famous poems of Chinese literature. It is of course no coincidence that the Red Cliffs - as mentioned in print #3 -were also the location of a famous battle during the Three Kingdom Era (220–280 AD). (printed 1889)
81. Луна Красных Утесов (Sekiheki никакой tsuki) |
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82. Kenshin watching geese in the moonlightUesugi Terutoa (1530—1578), also known by his Buddhist priest name Kenshin, was famed for his military expertise and strategy, and for the legendary rivalry with Takeda Shingen (print #41). Here he is seen on the eve of a successful battle on the island of Sado, watching a flight of birds pass the midnight full moon, and moved to compose a poem that reads: "Frost fills the camp and the autumn air is still - lines of returning geese cross the moon of the third hour." (printed April 1890)
82. Kenshin наблюдающие гуси в лунном свете
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83. General Akashi GidayuAkashi Gidayu was a general under Akechi Mitsuhide (Print #8, and #19). After Mitsuhide had killed Oda Nobunaga in 1582, he sent Gidayu to face the troops that remained loyal to Nobunaga. However, Gidayu was defeated at Amagasaki, a seaside village in present-day Hyogo Prefecture. Remorseful about his failure he disobeys his lord, and is about to commit suicide. His death poem reads: "As I am about to enter the ranks of those who disobey - ever more brightly shines the moon of the summer night." (printed April 1890)
83. Генерал Акэши Джидэйу
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84. Cloth-beating moon (Kinuta no tsuki)A scene from the Noh play Kinuta. A "kinuta" is a kind of fulling block on which cloth was beaten after starching, in order to remove wrinkles and restore its gloss. The sound of beating the kinuta is generally associated with autumn nightfall and loneliness. A woman, whose husband has spent three years away from home in the capital, hears that he cannot yet return as promised. Disappointment, loneliness, and hatred lead to her insanity, and ultimately to her death. Perhaps the repetitive sounds also foreshadow that her ghost eventually will attain peace through the power of the Lotus Sutra. The name Yugiri, mentioned in the cartouche, is that of the maid-servant sitting in the background. (April 1890)
84. Бьющая ткань луна (Kinuta никакой tsuki)
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86. Rendezvous by moonlightThe courtier Taira no Tadanori (1144-1184) is the brother of Taira no Kyomori, who started the feud with the Minamoto. Tadanori died in the fight over Ichi no Tani castle, shortly before the Taira family was definitively destroyed in the year 1185. Here he stands one moonlit night near his mistress’s chambers, supposedly signaling his presence with audible clicks of his fan, while waiting for her to get rid of a female visitor. They are reminded of a poem by Horikawa no Yorimune: "How clamorous are the voices of insects in the fields - despite my passion, I long for you in silence." (printed October 1890)
86. Свидание лунным светом
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87. Moon of Kintoki's mountain (Kintokiyama no tsuki)This design is about the legend of the child Kintaro ("Golden Boy"), who grew up on Ashingara Mountain with his (foster-)mother Yamauba, and only wild animals for companions. Here he witnesses a wrestling match between a hare and a monkey. He is supposed to have been incredibly strong. He was eventually discovered by Minamoto no Yorimitsu, and taken into his service to become the famous warrior Sakata no Kintoki. (printed October 1890)
87. Луна горы Кинтоки (Kintokiyama никакой tsuki)
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88. A country couple enjoys the moonlight with their infant sonA 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:
88. Пара страны наслаждается лунным светом с их младенческим сыном |
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89. Horin temple moon (Horinji no tsuki)The weeping woman is Yokobue, a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Kenreimonin (1155-1213). She fell in love with palace guard Tokiyori who, when his father disapproved, took religious orders. She followed him to the Horin temple in Saga near Kyoto to ask him to return, but he refused to see her. (printed December 1890)
89. Луна храма Horin (Horinji никакой tsuki)
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90. Kazan temple moon (Kazanji no tsuki)Kazan was 17 when he became emperor in 985 AD. Only two years later the powerful Fujiwara family tricked him into taking priestly vows, due to which he was forced to abdicate. Here the young Emperor and his companion flee one moonlit night to the Tokozan Bodaiji Temple that later received Kazan's name. (printed December 1890)
90. Казанская луна храма (Kazanji никакой tsuki)
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91. Musashi Plain moon (Musashino no tsuki)The Musashi Plain west of Edo, now Kanto Plain on which Tokyo sits with its suburbs, was said to be haunted by magic foxes that occasionally took human form or adopted human qualities. In this successful design Yoshitoshi depicts a moonlit vixen that seems to be admiring herself in a pool. (published April 1892)
91. Луна Равнины Musashi (Musashino никакой tsuki)
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92. Monkey-music moon (Sarugaku no tsuki)Sarugaku (literally Monkey-music) involved acrobatics, juggling, and mime, combined with drum dancing. It is considered to have been one of the sources from which the Noh theatre developed. The people passing behind a rather stern and aloof looking samurai rush to find seats for the New Year Sarugaku performance on the grounds of Edo Castle. The samurai may be the envoy that was yearly sent by the emperor in Kyoto, as the on stage screen shows a red-crowned crane and the rising sun, both symbols of the imperial family. (published April 1892)
92. Луна музыки обезьяны (Sarugaku никакой tsuki)
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93. A Buddhist monk receives cassia seeds on a moonlit night (Bonso tsukiyo ni keishi o uku)An Arhat, an enlightened Buddist monk, sitting on a rock, catches seeds from the eight cassia trees on the moon. Because of their quality of perpetual renewal, the trees produce seeds that are thought to have magical properties. The halo around the monk's shaven head doubles as moon. (printed June 1891)
93. Буддистский монах получает семена кассии залитой лунным светом ночью (Bonso tsukiyo ni keishi o uku)
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94. Moon on the Sumida RiverIn a scene from the Kabuki play Sumidagawa ("The Sumida River"), Mizuki Tatsunosuke (1673-1745), a famous onnagata - a male actor who specializes in female roles - admires the cherry trees at Sekiya. The poem reads: "Cherry trees blossom by the Sumida River - boats fade from view in the gathering dusk at Sekiya as I view the moon." (printed June 1891)
94. Луна на Реке Sumida
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95. The moon’s invention (Tsuki no hatsumei)After mastering the art of spear fighting, the monk In’ei (1521-1607) invented the Hozoin yari, a spear with a crescent-shaped cross-blade that was named after his martial arts school at the Hozoin temple in Nara. Here he may be reflecting upon his achievements while his practice spear crosses the crescent moon. (published June 1891.)
95. Изобретение луны (Tsuki никакой hatsumei)
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96. Chofu village moon (Chofu sato no tsuki)The river near Chofu, a village on the Musashi Plain, was known as one of the Mu Tamagawa or Six Jewel Rivers. Its clean water was ideal for treating cloths. A famous poem by Lord Teika (1162-1241) about the Chofu river reads as follows: "At Tatzukuri - on cloth spread out for bleaching - the morning dewdrops lay shining strings - Jewel River village." (printed June 1891)
96. Деревенская луна Chofu (Chofu sato никакой tsuki)
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97. The moon and the abandoned old woman (Obasute no tsuki)A scene from the Noh play Obasuteyama i.e. "The mountain where the old woman was left to die". According to Japanese folklore, peasant families in certain regions abandoned elderly family members that had become a nuisance, and left them in the wilderness to die from starvation or exposure. Obasuteyama is also used as a symbol of self-sacrifice by the elders. A similar theme can be found in the 1983 movie Narayama Bushiko (“The Ballad of Mount Nara”) by Shohei Imamura. Yoshitoshi depicts a young man carrying an old woman up a mountain. Their path crosses a large pine tree, usually a symbol for long and healthy life. (published 1891)
97. Луна и оставленная старуха (Obasute никакой tsuki) |
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98. The moon’s four strings (Tsuki no yotsu no o)The blind musician tuning a string on his biwa is Semimaru, a 10th-century poet of noble birth, who once served prince Atsuzane at the imperial court, but retired to live alone on Mount Ausaka near Kyoto. His life inspired a Noh play, which has the following verse: "The first string and the second sound wildly - the autumn wind brushes the pines and falls with broken notes - the third string and the fourth - the fourth string is myself, Semimaru - and four are the strings of the biwa I play." (printed August 1891)
98. Четыре последовательности луны (Tsuki никакой yotsu никакой o)
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99. Saga Moor moon (Sagano no tsuki)In the Noh play "Kogo", the heroine Kogo no Tsubone (1159-1180) is a beautiful and accomplished koto player, and a concubine of Emperor Takakura. When her life is threatened by Taira no Kiyomori, because an eventual son would endanger the position of the Taira clan, she flees to a remote cottage in Saga. This scene illustrates the moment when Minamoto no Nakakuni, who was sent by the emperor to find her, recognizes her koto playing, and draws out his flute to answer her music. (printed 1891)
99. Луна мавра Саги (Sagano никакой tsuki)
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100. Farmers celebrating the autumn moonMatsuo Basho (1644-1694) was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan, and the recognized master of the Haiku. He made a living as a teacher, but renounced the social and urban life of the literary circles, and wandered throughout the country to gain inspiration for his writing. His poems are influenced by his firsthand experience of the world around him, often catching the feelings of a scene in a few simple elements. Here Basho is leaning on his staff when he encounters two farmers celebrating the mid-autumn moon festival. The Haiku reads: "Since the crescent moon, I have been waiting for tonight."
100. Фермеры, празднующие осеннюю луну
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