Koson's vast output of ~450 designs spans birds, flowers, fish, insects, and occasional landscapes. While his large production keeps most prints accessible, early Kokkeido-period impressions with muted, elegant Meiji-era coloring are distinctly more sought after than the brighter later Watanabe editions.
A fox stands at the water's edge in moonlight — the supernatural animal reflected in the still surface, the full moon above creating a scene of quiet, charged atmosphere. The fox by moonlit water invokes the kitsune legend: foxes were believed to acquire supernatural powers during lunar festivals, and their nocturnal appearance near water was considered an omen. Koson treats the subject with botanical-like precision for the natural elements and a light suggestion of the uncanny that never overwhelms the pictorial beauty.
![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](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/d0960668-1e73-339a-b182-fb995a54bff0/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
1947
Color woodblock print; oban
March 1933
Color woodblock print; oban
1919
Color woodblock print
January 1938
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Fox by the Moonlit Water was created by Ohara Koson (小原古邨) in c. 1928–1930.
Fox by the Moonlit Water uses Bokashi, on woodblock print, ink and color on paper.
Fox by the Moonlit Water was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1928–1930).
Fox by the Moonlit Water depicts moonlight, night scenes, and animals.
Fox by the Moonlit Water measures 23.7 × 33.1 cm (Oban format).
