Moon Over Single Dwelling, 1880s

Hitotsuya no tsuki. Moon over a single dwelling. An old woman holding a small firebrand or torch as she sneaks around the corner at the entrance to a room in a lonely, isolated house, with the moon shining in the background. Since ancient times the Japanese have contemplated the combination of snow, flowers, moon, and the beauties of nature. And not only have they contemplated such scenes, they've also made them favored themes for paintings and poetry.The symbolic meaning of the moon is closely tied to the act of rejuvenation. Ukiyo-e (picture of the floating world) is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Ukiyo-e was central to forming the West's perception of Japanese art in the late 19th century.The landscape genre has come to dominate Western perceptions of ukiyo-e, though ukiyo-e had a long history preceding these late-era masters. The Japanese landscape differed from the Western tradition in that it relied more heavily on imagination, composition, and atmosphere than on strict observance of nature. Taiso Yoshitoshi, 1880s

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Astronomical Celestial Firebrand Heavenly Isolated Isolation Loneliness Lunar Moonlight Moonlit Rejuvenation Satellite Sphere Symbolical Symbolism Taiso Ukiyo-e Woodblock Yoshitoshi

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