Hanga
Fox by the Moonlit Water by Ohara Koson — Japanese Woodblock print, ink and color on paper, c. 1928–1930

Fox by the Moonlit Water

by Ohara Koson

Shin-hanga
MoonlightNight ScenesAnimals
Bokashi
Date:
c. 1928–1930
Medium:
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Format:
Oban
Dimensions:
23.7 × 33.1 cm
Edition:
Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Description

A single fox with russet-orange fur and a white underbelly leaps low along a water's edge, body stretched horizontally with ears pricked and mouth open, one forepaw touching the water's surface and sending out small ripples. Dark silhouetted reeds and grasses fill the right side of the composition, framing a pale blue-grey sky where a thin crescent moon hangs above the still water, its reflection faintly visible on the surface. The palette is limited to indigo, grey-blue, and cream tones set against the fox's warm orange coloring. Ohara Koson, "Fox by the Moonlit Water," 1928, woodblock print, ink and color on paper.

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

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).