Title
Dawn moon and tumbling snow - Kobayashi Heihachirō, from the series One hundred aspects of the moon
1889
Artist
-
Details
- Alternative title
- seppu no gyōgetsu - Kobayashi Heihachirō
- Place where the work was made
-
Japan
- Period
- Meiji period 1868 - 1912 → Japan
- Date
- 1889
- Media category
- Materials used
- colour woodblock; ōban
- Dimensions
- 39.0 x 26.0 cm
- Signature & date
Signed and dated.
- Credit
- Yasuko Myer Bequest Fund 2012
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 258.2012.79
- Copyright
- Artist information
-
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Works in the collection
- Share
-
About
In the final act of the famous Kabuki play 'Kanadehon Chūshingura' (‘The treasury of loyal retainers’), the 47 'rōnin' (or masterless samurai) attacked the mansion of the villain Moronao to avenge their lord on a snowy moonlit night. In this print, Yoshitoshi chose to illustrate this famous event from an unusual angle, focusing on Kobayashi Heihachirō, Moronao’s retainer, instead of showing one of the 'rōnin' who are actually the heroes of the story. Faithful to the story, Heihachirō is shown here wearing his old nurse’s robe, as he attempted to catch the attackers off guard. Heihachirō defended his lord with great courage, but was killed.
-
Places
Where the work was made
Japan
-
Exhibition history
Shown in 2 exhibitions
Yoshitoshi: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 20 Aug 2016–20 Nov 2016
Outlaw, Art Gallery of New South Wales, North Building, Sydney, 03 Dec 2022–06 Jun 2023
-
Bibliography
Referenced in 3 publications
-
Yuriko Iwakiri, Yoshitoshi Tsuki hyakushi (Yoshitoshi’s One hundred aspects of the moon), Tokyo, 2010. General reference; Another edition was reproduced
-
John Stevenson, Yoshitoshi's One hundred aspects of the moon, Seattle, 1992, (colour illus.). cat.no.79; Another edition was reproduced
-
Chris UHLENBECK, Yoshitoshi: masterpieces from the Ed Freis collection, Leiden, 2011, 135-136. General reference; Another edition was reproduced
-