Yoshitoshi 芳年: Minamoto no Tsunenobu and Demon (Sold)

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) 芳年
Title: Minamoto no Tsunenobu and Demon
Series: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon 月百姿
Date: 1886

A giant demon walks on clouds across the sky, only his hairy leg in view as his flowing scarf partially obscures the moon. The Heian courtier Minamoto no Tsunenobu, a famous poet and musician, is shown bottom right, only mildly startled by the apparition. Tsunenobu had just recited a famous poem when the giant demon answered his poem with another poem, proving his literary acumen. As Stevenson noted, this series explores human nature and there is no room in it for sensationalism, we may assume that is why only the leg of the demon is shown, and he is retreating the scene. Number 14 in the series.

Condition: Excellent impression and color. 
Dimensions: ôban 35.6 x 24 cm
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon
Literature: John Stevenson, Yoshitoshi’s One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (San Francisco: San Francisco Graphic Society, 1992), number 14.  See Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Signature: Yoshitoshi

SKU: YOT825