Benkei and the Moon at Daimotsunoura

A robed warrior with a rosary around his neck stands at the stern of a wooden ship, gripping a long naginata as the vessel tilts within a towering, curling wave; a sword hangs at his waist and a large black pom-pom or tassel ornament sits near the ship's rail. The scene is rendered in dark indigo-blue and grey tones with white-crested waves, set against a pale yellow full moon low in a cloudy night sky. Text cartouches with Japanese characters and a red seal appear at lower right and left; this print, "Benkei and the Moon at Daimotsunoura" by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1886, is otherwise unframed by additional pictorial elements.