Fujiwara no Yasumasa Plays the Flute by Moonlight

Object Details

• Artist

  Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 (1839-1892)

• Label

  This finely preserved image depicts the courtier Fujiwara no Yasumasa (958-1036) strolling on a desolate moor and subduing a would-be robber with the seductive sounds of his flute. The story suggests a recurring theme of court literature: the victory of culture over violence. This legend was adapted for Kabuki and the print triptych seen here was produced to coincide with an 1883 staging.

  Western illustration techniques including shading, perspective, and foreshortening can be observed here and indicate the dramatic confluence of cultures which formed the backdrop for many of Yoshitoshi's creations. This triptych (a work in three parts) is one of the most memorable produced in late-nineteenth-century Japan.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  Dream Worlds: Modern Japanese Prints and Paintings from the Robert O. Muller Collection (November 06, 2004 to January 7, 2007)

  Honoring Friends: Recent Gifts by Members of the Freer and Sackler Galleries (June 10 to November 25, 2001)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase -- funds provided by Dr. Carol Master, Mr. and Mrs. Willard G. Clark, and Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Feinberg

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1880s

• Name

  Tsukioka, Yoshitoshi

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Night, Moon, Noble, Outer space, Japanese Art, Triptych, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Flute

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints