Moon of Enlightenment (Godo no tsuki), from the series "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi)"

Series:: One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (print 88 of 100)
Date:: 1881
Medium:: Color woodblock print; oban
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art Institute of Chicago

Typical Price

Scarce or exceptional One Hundred Aspects of the Moon design: $2,000–$10,000
Fine impression of popular moon design: $800–$2,500
Common moon design, good condition: $300–$800

Description

"Moon of Enlightenment" (Godo no tsuki, 1881) from "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon" depicts a Buddhist monk or practitioner in a moment of spiritual breakthrough, the moon serving as a traditional Zen metaphor for enlightenment—the "finger pointing at the moon" of classical teaching. Yoshitoshi, who had personal familiarity with mental breakdown and recovery, invested the series' religious imagery with unusual psychological depth. The print's 1881 date makes it among the earliest in the series, before it became his most celebrated achievement.

More Prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Shunkan Watching Enviously from Kikai Island as Yasuyori Returns to the Capitol after Being Unexpectedly Pardoned (Shunkan sozu Kikaigashima ni oite tamatama Yasuyori no shamen senbo kito no zu)

Looking as if She Wants to Go for a Walk: The Fashion of a Married Woman of the Meiji Era (Yūho ga shitasō, Meiji nenkan saikun no fūzoku), from the series Thirty-two Appearances of Fashion (Fūzoku sanjūni sō)

Slovenly (Shidaranasaso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)"

1888

Color woodblock print; oban

Four PM, from the series "Twenty-Four Hours in Shinbashi and Yanagibashi"

n.d.

Color woodblock print

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)"

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)"

March 1933

Color woodblock print; oban

Matsushima in Moonlight (Tsuki no Matsushima)

1919

Color woodblock print

Kiyozumi Garden in Moonlight

January 1938

Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

Frequently Asked Questions

Moon of Enlightenment (Godo no tsuki), from the series "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi)" was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1881.

Yes — Moon of Enlightenment (Godo no tsuki), from the series "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi)" is part of the One Hundred Aspects of the Moon series (print 88 of 100) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.

Moon of Enlightenment (Godo no tsuki), from the series "One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi)" depicts moonlight and night scenes.