One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Japanese Woodblock Prints by Yoshitoshi

by Tamara Tjardes, Joe Chapman (Afterword)

Yoshitoshi (1839–1892) was the last great woodblock print master of the Ukiyo-e tradition, and One Hundred Aspects of the Moon is regarded as his greatest achievement. The only complete set of the series, in the collection of the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, provides for the exquisite reproductions in this popular book on nineteenth-century Japan's most mainstream art amusement. Yoshitoshi was born in the city of Edo (Tokyo) shortly before Japan's violent transformations from a medieval to a modern society. He was keenly interested in preserving traditional Japanese culture against the inclusions of modernism, and his prints celebrate the glory of Japan in its mythology, literature, history, the warrior culture, and fine woodblock print tradition. This book will appeal to a broad audience of connoisseurs as well as the many who cultivate an interest in Japanese art.

Genres: Art, Japan, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-curated collection, but the book itself would have been much more enjoyable had the plates been larger.

[Ebster Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love ordering books on Amazon. It's like getting a present from me, to me...and it's always something that I want!!

Well, I got this little present from myself today. I also finished it today. Its left me with a this "What? That's it?! I want more!!" feeling.

Really, its given me everything I've wanted since I was first introduced to this series' existance last year: all one hundred of Yoshitoshi's prints, with a little description paragraph explaining the context for each of them.

But really, like, the myths and stories are so abridged, I really would like the longer versions of them!

For instance, #19 "Chang E Flees To The Moon" To me, its such a tragic, scandalous story, I think more than two sentances should be devoted to it.

Other than that, the quality of this book is fabulous. The prints are of a really good quality, and the designs are more intricate and diverse than what I've come to expect from the style. I really liked the commentary on Japanese history and the transformation these people were under at the time these prints were made. Even the little discriptive paragraph thingys got me real curious about Japanese history and folklore in general, so now I have to look them up (all 100 of them!).

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise info about the subject of each print, but nothing about each print as an object (e.g. method of production, variations in subsequent prints, etc.). Reproductions appear to be decent quality, but they are too small to fully appreciate.

[T P Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little overview of this fabulous series of prints. Yoshitoshi's work is amazing and this is a good but limited commentary. The volume suffers from the relatively small size which does not do justice to the plates. It also limits the analysis of the individual prints.

[Malcolm McCord]

Wood cut prints by the last traditional practitioner of the art. Wonderful images.

[Michale · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a shame that a number of prints in this collection are not as pristine as those available on the market today, and the colors are faded or missing altogether. Still, it was a pleasure to read about the artist, and the stories and legends behind each print. Perhaps, someday, one of these will make it into our collection.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite collection of one hundred prints from Victorian-era Japan. The theme is th'inconstant moon, as Shakespeare would say, and the variety of and sources for these beautiful prints seem rich enough to be the visual equivalent of a Shakespeare. There are histories, comedies, tragedies, folk tales, supernatural visitations, love stories and more besides -- each perfectly suggested with a drawing of a human figure or two, and the moon. Beautiful and beguiling.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book with beautiful color prints. Each page is a print with a description or a poem or some piece of information to illuminate the print. Excellent color throughout. I looked at this at least once a day for a whole month straight!