Yoshitoshi 芳年: Moon Over Jogan Palace- Minamoto no Tsunemoto (Sold)

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 芳年 (1839-1892)
Title: Moon Over Jogan Palace - Minamoto no Tsunemoto 貞観殿月　源経基

Series: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon 月百姿 Tsuki hyakushi
Date: 1888

The tenth century courtier Minamoto no Tsunemoto has just loosed his arrow into what appeared as a dangerous, demon-stag, with red eyes and sharp teeth, the animal a threat to the nearby Emperor Shujaku. Perhaps in the act of felling it, its appearance has reverted to a more ordinary animal. Tsunemoto was known as a skilled archer and famous poet, and three lines of shogunal families descended from his family line, including the Tokugawa. He is said to have saved the life of Emperor Shujaku on more than one occasion.

Stevenson has interpreted Yoshitoshi's depiction of the deer as helpless and ordinary as a sign of his emotional and artistic maturity; that there never was a demon in the first place, as demons are figments of our imagination.

rewrite: from Stevenson: Minamoto no Tsunemoto was a high-ranking courtier of the tenth century, a poet famous for his tanka, and a general noted for his skill at archery. He founded the Seiwa-Genji line of the Minamoto family, from whom three shogun families, Minamoto, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa, each claimed descent. Yoshitoshi designed a similar scene in his earlier series, A Mirror of Famous Generals, in 1879.

Condition: Excellent impression and color; very good condition. Some minor discolorations. Dimensions: ôban (35.5 x 24 cm)
Publisher: Akiyama Buemon Seal: Taiso
Signature: Yoshitoshi 

References: John Stevenson, Yoshitoshi's 100 Aspects of the Moon, 2001, no. 67. See British Museum collection.

SKU: YOT930