Yoshitoshi 芳年: The moon is blocked by the Mio pine groves...Takeda Shingen (Sold)

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) 芳年
Title: The moon is blocked by the Mio pine groves...Takeda Shingen
Series: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon 月百姿 (Tsuki hyaku sugata)
Date: 1886

The infamous 16th c. warlord Takeda Shingen gazes at Mount Fuji, his presence as immovable as the mountain itself. Shingen spent his life on endeavors attempting to unify Japan by military force.  His own province was landlocked--here he floats on a golden cloud from an impossible vantage point; perhaps it is his spirit looking down on the obstacles that faced him in life. He fought many campaigns over the years to seize the province that included Mount Fuji. The poem reads: “On the coast at Kiyomi even the sky bars the way/ The moon is blocked by the Mio pine groves.” His robe is printed with an extra pattern of lacquer-mimicking overprinting, as are his bearskin boots. His white-haired helmet is also beautifully embossed in this early impression, as well as the white title cartouche. With lovely woodgrain in the sky.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban vertical (35.5 x 24 cm)
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon
Literature: Stevens, John: “Yoshitoshi’s One Hundred Aspects of The Moon”, Hong Kong, 1988. #41. See Library of Congress collection online.
Seal: Taiso
Signature: Yoshitoshi

SKU: YOT813