335 - Yoshitoshi Tsukioka (1839–1892)

Yoshitoshi Tsukioka (1839–1892) "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon" Series (Tsuki Hyakushi) Plate No. 77: "The Madness of the Moon"—Unfurled Letter (Tsuki no Monogurui—Fumihiroge) This print depicts the tragic figure of Ochiyo, a maid to Ono no Otsu, a lady of the household of the daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–1598), a prominent figure of the Momoyama period. Lady Ono no Otsu was famous for having written a Noh play inspired by the life of the young Yoshitsune. Her maid, Ochiyo, was known for her inconsolable grief: she descended into madness upon receiving a letter announcing the death of her beloved. She wandered aimlessly through Kyoto, unrolling and rolling up her love letters. Yoshitoshi depicts the grief-stricken young woman, whose distress is conveyed by her disheveled hair and bare feet, standing near the Gojo Bridge—an emblem of the city—holding a torn love letter carried away by the wind. During the hot and humid season of the seventh month of the year, also known as fumihirogezuki (literally “the month of spreading out letters”), letters and scrolls were unrolled and aired out. Woodblock print Signed: Yoshitoshi followed by the artist’s red seal on the print in the lower left corner Publisher: Akiyama Buemon, circa 1889 Format: Oban tate-e Numerous foxing spots, soiling.