Hanga
Flying Geese and Moon by Ohara Koson — Japanese Woodblock print, ink and color on paper, before 1912

Flying Geese and Moon

by Ohara Koson

Shin-hanga
MoonlightNight Scenes
Bokashi
Date:
before 1912
Medium:
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Format:
Oban
Dimensions:
34.5 × 18.3 cm
Edition:
Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Description

Geese in V-formation fly before a full moon, their silhouettes dark against the illuminated disc — one of the most classically Japanese of compositional formulas, repeated across centuries of painting and printmaking. Koson's pre-1912 version of this subject establishes early in his career his mastery of the nocturnal composition: the moon perfectly positioned, the geese's V-shape completing the circle's geometry, the bokashi gradation giving the moonlit sky its depth and luminosity.

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

Flying Geese and Moon was created by Ohara Koson (小原古邨) in before 1912.

Flying Geese and Moon uses Bokashi, on woodblock print, ink and color on paper.

Flying Geese and Moon was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (before 1912).

Flying Geese and Moon depicts moonlight and night scenes.

Flying Geese and Moon measures 34.5 × 18.3 cm (Oban format).