Artwork
Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyamadera Temple, based on the print “The Moon at Ishiyama,” from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi: Ishiyama no tsuki)
Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyamadera Temple, based on the print “The Moon at Ishiyama,” from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi: Ishiyama no tsuki) is an unspecified painting by the Japonisme artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The surface bears delicate handling marks consistent with careful preservation, and the artwork remains well-preserved with stable pigment integrity.
The work is a painting on paper created using ink and color pigments, characteristic of Yoshitoshi’s late nineteenth-century style. The composition depicts Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyamadera Temple under a luminous moon, employing strong linework and dramatic chiaroscuro to convey narrative depth. The surface bears delicate handling marks consistent with careful preservation, and the artwork remains well-preserved with stable pigment integrity.
Formal elements include asymmetrical balance and a focus on atmospheric perspective, reflecting the artist’s synthesis of traditional ukiyo-e motifs with innovative expressive techniques.
The painting measures 35.6 cm × 23.5 cm and is executed on silk-mounted paper, enhancing its tactile presence. Stylistically, it combines meticulous brushwork with bold outlines, emphasizing the ethereal quality of moonlight on the temple grounds. The composition’s dynamic diagonal lines and textured background contribute to a sense of movement and spiritual contemplation.
History & Provenance
The painting was created by Yoshitoshi in 1892, as recorded in both the institutional classification and the Wikidata entry. It was produced in Japan and is based on the artist's earlier woodblock print "The Moon at Ishiyama" from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi).
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located. No further details regarding commission, intermediate ownership, or acquisition history are documented in the available sources.
The print is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is accessioned as 2012.456.14.
It has been exhibited in the museum’s galleries in 2013–2014 as part of the installation “One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Yoshitoshi’s Modern Women.”
Overview
Created in 1896 by the ukiyo-e master Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, this woodblock print belongs to his ambitious series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon. It portrays the Heian-era court lady and author Murasira Shikibu seated within the modest interior of Ishiyamadera Temple, while a full moon illuminates the landscape beyond the window.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents the celebrated writer in a solitary pose, her attention directed toward the moonlight that filters through the temple’s opening. The tranquil setting evokes a moment of literary contemplation, linking the historic figure’s poetic legacy with the timeless allure of the moon in Japanese culture.
Artist & collection
