Hanga
Egrets and Crescent Moon by Ohara Koson — Japanese Color woodblock print; oban, 1926

Egrets and Crescent Moon

by Ohara Koson

Shin-hanga
MoonlightNight Scenes
Bokashi
Date:
1926
Medium:
Color woodblock print; oban
Format:
Oban
Dimensions:
38.2 × 25.3 cm
Edition:
Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Description

Two egrets circle a crescent moon in the darkness of an early spring night — the slim moon against deep blue or black sky, the birds rendered in white that glows against the dark ground. This 1926 oban print pairs Koson's most technically demanding sky work with two of his most elegant bird subjects. The crescent's curve echoes the egrets' flight paths, and the bokashi gradation surrounding the moon creates the atmosphere of a clear night just after sunset when the sky deepens from blue to black.

More Prints by Ohara Koson

Cat and Goldfish by Ohara Koson

Cat and Goldfish

c. 1928–1930

Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

Heron or Egret by Ohara Koson

Heron or Egret

c. 1900–1945

Woodblock print

"Snipes and Reeds," 1926 and "Wild Ducks and Pampas Grass" by Ohara Koson

"Snipes and Reeds," 1926 and "Wild Ducks and Pampas Grass"

Two woodblocks in colors (framed separately)

Barn Swallow in flight by Ohara Koson

Barn Swallow in flight

Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)

More Moonlight Prints

Mount Fuji on a Moonlit Night, Kawai Bridge (Tsukiyo no Fuji [Kawaibashi]), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)" by Kawase Hasui

Mount Fuji on a Moonlit Night, Kawai Bridge (Tsukiyo no Fuji [Kawaibashi]), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)"

1947

Color woodblock print; oban

Evening Moon at Nakanoshima, Sapporo (Sapporo Nakanoshima no yuzuki), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition (Nihon fukei shu higashi Nihon hen)" by Kawase Hasui

Evening Moon at Nakanoshima, Sapporo (Sapporo Nakanoshima no yuzuki), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition (Nihon fukei shu higashi Nihon hen)"

March 1933

Color woodblock print; oban

Matsushima in Moonlight (Tsuki no Matsushima) by Kawase Hasui

Matsushima in Moonlight (Tsuki no Matsushima)

1919

Color woodblock print

Kiyozumi Garden in Moonlight by Kawase Hasui

Kiyozumi Garden in Moonlight

January 1938

Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Shin-Hanga: Japan's Twentieth-Century Print Revival

Frequently Asked Questions

Egrets and Crescent Moon was created by Ohara Koson (小原古邨) in 1926.

Egrets and Crescent Moon uses Bokashi, on color woodblock print; oban.

Egrets and Crescent Moon was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1926).

Egrets and Crescent Moon depicts moonlight and night scenes.

Egrets and Crescent Moon measures 38.2 × 25.3 cm (Oban format).