Tsukioka Yoshitoshi “One Hundred Aspects of the Moon / The Moon at Kazan Temple”

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s “One Hundred Aspects of the Moon” is a series of 100 ukiyo-e prints that illustrate various stories and themes related to the moon.
One of these prints, “The Moon at Kazan Temple,” depicts an episode involving Emperor Kazan.
Emperor Kazan was deceived by a noble and forced to become a monk.
This print illustrates that episode.
At night, the noble took the emperor from an imperial court and led him to the Kazan Temple, deceiving him into becoming a monk.
That night, the moon was bright, and the emperor began to think about returning.
However, the noble insisted, “Since we’ve come this far, there’s no turning back,” and forcibly took him to the temple to make him a monk.
Due to this background, the story depicted includes the moon as a central element.
