Hanga

Moonlight Prints (445)

Moon-lit scenes (tsuki) and lunar compositions in Japanese woodblock prints. Moonlight prints use dramatic tonal contrasts to evoke atmosphere, from full moons over castle towers to crescent moons reflected in still water.

Artists Known for Moonlight

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

Bamboo trees with a crescent moon by Kotozuka Eiichi

Bamboo trees with a crescent moon

Not set

Woodblock print

Moon over Kiyosumi Garden (Tsuki no Kiyosumien) by Kawase Hasui

Moon over Kiyosumi Garden (Tsuki no Kiyosumien)

1938

Color woodblock print; oban

A Moonlight Night Scene at the Ishiyama Temple on the Shore of Lake Biwa by Utagawa Hiroshige

A Moonlight Night Scene at the Ishiyama Temple on the Shore of Lake Biwa

Moonlight at Takanawa by Utagawa Hiroshige

Moonlight at Takanawa

Moonlight at Yasaka by Takeji Asano

Moonlight at Yasaka

八坂月光

Woodblock print

Moonlight in Mii Temple by Takeji Asano

Moonlight in Mii Temple

1952

Woodblock print

Moonlight in Sarusawa Pond, Nara by Takeji Asano

Moonlight in Sarusawa Pond, Nara

猿沢の池月光

Woodblock print

Monkey Reaching for the Reflection of the Moon by Ohara Koson

Monkey Reaching for the Reflection of the Moon

水面の月を掴む猿

c. 1930

Color woodblock print

Crescent Moon and Sea C by Reika Iwami

Crescent Moon and Sea C

1991

Woodblock print, ink and gold leaf on paper

Half Moon Bridge by Toshi Yoshida

Half Moon Bridge

Woodblock print

Moon at Ayashi (Ayashi no tsuki (Miyagi ken)) by Kawase Hasui

Moon at Ayashi (Ayashi no tsuki (Miyagi ken))

1946

Color woodblock print

Moon at Enoshima Beach (Tsukiyo no Enoshima) by Kawase Hasui

Moon at Enoshima Beach (Tsukiyo no Enoshima)

1933

Color woodblock print

Moon at Enoura Beach (Tsuki no Enoura) by Kawase Hasui

Moon at Enoura Beach (Tsuki no Enoura)

January 1939

Color woodblock print

Moon at Umagome, from the series "Twenty Views of Tokyo" (Tokyo nijukei, Uragome no tsuki) by Kawase Hasui

Moon at Umagome, from the series "Twenty Views of Tokyo" (Tokyo nijukei, Uragome no tsuki)

1930

Color woodblock print

Moon over Akebi Bridge (Akebibashi no tsuki) by Kawase Hasui

Moon over Akebi Bridge (Akebibashi no tsuki)

1935

Color woodblock print

October (The Full-Moon Night at the Gate of the Chionin Monastery) by Tomikichiro Tokuriki

October (The Full-Moon Night at the Gate of the Chionin Monastery)

十月 (知恩院山門月夜)

second half 20th century

Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

Moon over Itako (Itako no tsuki) by Kawase Hasui

Moon over Itako (Itako no tsuki)

1936

Color woodblock print

Moon over Izura (Izura no tsuki) by Kawase Hasui

Moon over Izura (Izura no tsuki)

1952

Color woodblock print

Moon over Lakeside (Kohan no tsuki) by Kawase Hasui

Moon over Lakeside (Kohan no tsuki)

December 1935

Color woodblock print

Moonlit Night at Miyajima (Miyajima no tsukiyo) by Kawase Hasui

Moonlit Night at Miyajima (Miyajima no tsukiyo)

1947

Color woodblock print

Waning Moon by Amano Kunihiro

Waning Moon

1960

Print

Evening Crescent Moon at Kôbe (Kôbe no Yoizuki), Taishô period, dated 1920 by Hashiguchi Goyo

Evening Crescent Moon at Kôbe (Kôbe no Yoizuki), Taishô period, dated 1920

Woodblock print

Moonlight Night (Cat) by Shiro Kasamatsu

Moonlight Night (Cat)

Woodblock print

Moon at Matsushima by Shiro Kasamatsu

Moon at Matsushima

Woodblock print

Moonrise At Nezu Gongen Shrine — 月の出 根津権現 by Shiro Kasamatsu

Moonrise At Nezu Gongen Shrine — 月の出 根津権現

Woodblock print

Moon Seen Beyond Shinagawa by Kobayashi Kiyochika

Moon Seen Beyond Shinagawa

1884

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Fujiwara no Yasumasa Playing His Flute in the Moonlight by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Fujiwara no Yasumasa Playing His Flute in the Moonlight

About 1883

Color woodblock print; ōban triptych

Benkei and the Moon at Daimotsunoura by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Benkei and the Moon at Daimotsunoura

1886

Print

Moonlight through the Clouds off the Haneda Coast by Kobayashi Kiyochika

Moonlight through the Clouds off the Haneda Coast

1929 (original design by Kiyochika; published posthumously)

Color woodblock print; oban

Tanuki under the Moon by Miki Suizan

Tanuki under the Moon

Woodblock print

Autumn Moon at Ishiyama Temple by Tsuchiya Koitsu

Autumn Moon at Ishiyama Temple

1933

Color woodblock print

Autumn Moon at Ishiyamadera by Tsuchiya Koitsu

Autumn Moon at Ishiyamadera

Woodblock print

Summer Moon at Miyajima, from the series "Collection of Views of Japan" by Tsuchiya Koitsu

Summer Moon at Miyajima, from the series "Collection of Views of Japan"

1936

Color woodblock print

Caravan from Afghanistan on a Moonlit Night by Hiroshi Yoshida

Caravan from Afghanistan on a Moonlit Night

1932

Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

No Series Returning Junks Seto Inland Sea In Moonlight by Okazaki Shintaro

No Series Returning Junks Seto Inland Sea In Moonlight

Woodblock print

No Series Returning Junks Seto Inland Sea In Moonlight by Okazaki Shintaro

No Series Returning Junks Seto Inland Sea In Moonlight

Woodblock print

No Series Returning Junks Seto Inland Sea In Moonlight by Okazaki Shintaro

No Series Returning Junks Seto Inland Sea In Moonlight

Woodblock print

Half Moon Bridge by Hiroshi Yoshida

Half Moon Bridge

1941

Woodblock print

Moonlight of Taj Mahal #4 by Hiroshi Yoshida

Moonlight of Taj Mahal #4

1931

Woodblock print

(Houseboat and moon) by Tsuruya Kokei

(Houseboat and moon)

c. 1854-1859

Woodblock print

Bamboo Grove Under a Crescent Moon - 月下竹林 by Kotozuka Eiichi

Bamboo Grove Under a Crescent Moon - 月下竹林

1950

Watercolor

August — 其八 名月 by Miyagawa Shuntei

August — 其八 名月

1898

Woodblock print

Tokaido Kusatsu Night Moon by Narazaki Eisho

Tokaido Kusatsu Night Moon

1930

Woodblock print

Traveler on Moonlit Shore by Narazaki Eisho

Traveler on Moonlit Shore

Not set

Woodblock print

Head of Moon Goddess by Saito Kiyoshi

Head of Moon Goddess

Woodblock print

Moon at Nijo Castle - 二条城の月 by Miki Suizan

Moon at Nijo Castle - 二条城の月

Woodblock print

Canal by Moonlight by Koho Shoda

Canal by Moonlight

Woodblock print

Moonlight by Kimura Yoshiharu

Moonlight

Woodblock print

Eastern Moon by Kimura Yoshiharu

Eastern Moon

Woodblock print

Moon by Kimura Yoshiharu

Moon

Woodblock print

SHIROI TSUKI (white moon) by Kimura Yoshiharu

SHIROI TSUKI (white moon)

Woodblock print

White Moon by Kimura Yoshiharu

White Moon

Woodblock print

TSUKI TO BUDO (moon and grapes) by Kimura Yoshiharu

TSUKI TO BUDO (moon and grapes)

Woodblock print

Chikibu Island in Moonlight by Nishiyama Hideo

Chikibu Island in Moonlight

Woodblock print

Seto Inland Sea in Moonlight by Okazaki Shintaro

Seto Inland Sea in Moonlight

Woodblock print

Moon, 2002 by Henmi Takashi

Moon, 2002

Woodblock print

Related Subjects

Frequently Asked Questions

Moon-lit scenes (tsuki) and lunar compositions in Japanese woodblock prints. Moonlight prints use dramatic tonal contrasts to evoke atmosphere, from full moons over castle towers to crescent moons reflected in still water.

Utagawa Hiroshige, Kawase Hasui, and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi are among the artists most associated with moonlight in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.

Hanga currently catalogues 445 prints tagged with moonlight, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.