A Wandering Poet

A traveling poet stands at right, leaning on a walking stick, dressed in a hooded black cap, layered brown and grey robes, and straw sandals, with a pack slung over his shoulder; his weathered face is turned toward two seated men on a straw mat at left, one in a striped kimono bent forward, the other grey-bearded and holding a small cup, with a teapot and vase of purple flowers nearby. Behind them a pale full moon hangs in a soft grey-blue sky above a river, thatched-roof houses, and green fields, giving the scene a quiet, autumnal evening mood. The palette is muted — browns, greys, and dusty greens against the pale moonlit sky — with a vertical text panel and inscription at the upper right. Woodblock print, "A Wandering Poet," Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1891.