The life of the artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) spanned the violent transformation of Japan from a medieval to a modern society. Working in the ephemeral medium of woodblock prints or ukiyo-e, literally ‘pictures of the floating world’, Yoshitoshi at first confronted the savagery of his time. By the 1880s, he created One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, a more tranquil series of a hundred portraits imaginatively linked to phases of the moon. These portrayals of individuals both ordinary and great combined native lyricism with a dynamic, modern look resulting from his adoption of western spatial techniques and colouring.

For his brilliance as a print designer, Yoshitoshi is today celebrated as one of the masters of the ukiyo-e tradition.

This print collection was formed by the late Else and Joseph Chapman. The exhibition is lent by the Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of New Mexico, USA.