Title
The moon's invention - Hōzō temple, from the series One hundred aspects of the moon
June 1891
Artist
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Details
- Alternative title
- tsuki no hatsumei - Hōzōin
- Place where the work was made
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Japan
- Period
- Meiji period 1868 - 1912 → Japan
- Date
- June 1891
- 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
- 258.2012.95
- Copyright
- Artist information
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Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Works in the collection
- Share
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About
The head priest of Hōzōin Buddhist temple in Nara was Kakuzenbō Hōin In’ei, who came from a line of 'kuge', lords attached to the imperial court. By the second half of the 16th century he had established a fencing school at the temple. Here, he looks into water at the reflection of the moon. Interestingly, the crescent moon in the sky looks to be a cross piece in the practice fencing spear he is holding in his hand. This could be an allusion to a spear In’ei created called kamayari (sickle-spear; also seen in 258.2012.23) that has a very sharp cross piece, which was a famous development at the time. In’ei eventually came to the realisation his Buddhist beliefs were inconsistent with his martial art practice and gave away his weapons.
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Places
Where the work was made
Japan
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Exhibition history
Shown in 1 exhibition
Yoshitoshi: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 20 Aug 2016–20 Nov 2016
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Bibliography
Referenced in 3 publications
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Yuriko Iwakiri, Yoshitoshi Tsuki hyakushi (Yoshitoshi’s One hundred aspects of the moon), Tokyo, 2010. General reference; Another edition was reproduced
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John Stevenson, Yoshitoshi's One hundred aspects of the moon, Seattle, 1992, (colour illus.). cat.no.95; Another edition was reproduced
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Chris UHLENBECK, Yoshitoshi: masterpieces from the Ed Freis collection, Leiden, 2011, 135-136. General reference; Another edition was reproduced
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