This luminous ōban triptych from about 1883 depicts the Heian court nobleman and renowned flutist Fujiwara no Yasumasa walking alone at night, his music charming even the bandit Hakamadare into abandoning his attack. Yoshitoshi renders the moonlit road with subtle atmospheric washes, the pale disk of the moon presiding over the scene as the nobleman's flute song carries through the darkness. The composition is one of Yoshitoshi's most celebrated evocations of Heian elegance—a theme he would return to repeatedly in his later career.
1888
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Fujiwara no Yasumasa Playing His Flute in the Moonlight was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in About 1883.
Yes — Fujiwara no Yasumasa Playing His Flute in the Moonlight is part of the One Hundred Aspects of the Moon series (print 65 of 100) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.
Fujiwara no Yasumasa Playing His Flute in the Moonlight depicts music, landscapes, and moonlight.
