Musashi Plain Moon from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi) 「むさしのゝ月」 『月百姿』
Object Details
- Label
- Foxes have both benevolent and malevolent roles in Japanese legends and folklore. In this serene and haunting image, a fox turns in a strikingly anthropomorphic pose to gaze at her reflection by the light of the full moon. This image on the plain of Musashi, from Yoshitoshi's famous series, One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi), recalls a traditional Japanese belief that the wide plain near Edo was inhabited by foxes who gathered on New Year's Eve at a tree near the Oji Inari Shrine, where they served as messengers to its deity, the protector of rice cultivation. Farmers looked for the flames emitted by the foxes to judge the probability of good harvests in the coming year.
- Collection
- National Museum of Asian Art Collection
- Exhibition History
- The Life of Animals in Japanese Art (May 18 to August 18, 2019)
- Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection (September 15, 2002 to January 9, 2003)
- Credit Line
- The Anne van Biema Collection
- Data Source
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Date
- January 1891
- Period
- Meiji era
- Accession Number
- S2004.3.315
- Artist
- Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 (1839-1892)
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Medium
- Ink and color on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (overall): 37.6 x 25.1 cm (14 13/16 x 9 7/8 in)
- Origin
- Japan
- Related Online Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- Topic
- fox
- Meiji era (1868 - 1912)
- moon
- Japan
- oban
- Japanese Art
- Anne van Biema collection
- Record ID
- fsg_S2004.3.315
