Tsukioka Yoshitoshi is widely recognised as the last great master of the ukiyo-e genre of Japanese woodblock printing and painting. Printed in batches between 1885 and 1892, One Hundred Aspects of the Moon is a series of 100 woodblock prints, featuring famous historical and literary figures in various moonlit scenes.
Created as part of the series in 1886, How hopeless it is depicteds Ariko no Naishi, a lady-in-waiting at the Heian court, who is about to commit suicide because of her unrequited love for Senior Councillor Tokudaiji no Sanesada. Her story was made into the nō play 'Ariko no Naishi'. ‘Moon Capital’, mentioned in the title of the poem that Ariko recited before jumping from the boat, was a poetic name for Kyoto, the imperial capital.
Featuring an off-white mat board border, this A3 sized How Hopeless it is print is available exclusively from the Gallery Shop.
250gsm satin paper print
Off-white mat board border
Paper size: H29.5 x W41.5cm
Image size: H28 x W20cm
Fits a standard A3 size frame
Made in Australia
Exclusive to the Gallery Shop
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japan 1839-1892)
How hopeless it is/ it would be better for me to sink beneath the waves/ perhaps then I could see my man from Moon Capital - Ariko 1886
from the series One hundred aspects of the moon
Colour woodblock; ōban, 39 x 26cm
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Yasuko Myer Bequest Fund 2012
Print © Art Gallery of New South Wales