three separate sheets; man at left with legs wide apart, holding a wooden staff with both hands; man wears black armor with red and white trim, and garment with red ground and multicolored floral medallions with straw sandals; white cloth beneath man's PR foot; jumping woman at right with legs drawn up, wearing garments with floral designs on red and green ground, and zori sandals with black platform soles and brown, yellow and purple striped socks; figures on wooden bridge; moon in sky between figures; green mountains in background It is extremely rare that preparatory drawings for woodblock prints survive, since the final versions were pasted on the key blocks to guide the carving of the black lines and were thus usually destroyed during the production process. Such drawings were more detailed and exact than the initial sketches and therefore offered a better representation of the final print. The outlines were the most important part, and some repetitive areas were only indicated but not fully executed—the wooden boards of the bridge or patterns of textile, for example. These drawings could also include coloring instructions. The spacing was not yet finalized in this drawing, since in the finished print the image is spread over three sheets instead of two.

Picture of the Gojō Bridge from the Chronicle of Yoshitsune https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127877/

Oban tate-e format. Page from the series also translated as "Warriors Trembling with Courage" A kneeling man has just thrown a black ceramic vessel against a wall; shards of the vessel fly through the air. The man's throwing hand remains raised while his other hand holds a large dagger. He is preparing to commit hara-kiri, his kimono opened so he can plunge the dagger into his abdomen. The armor standing behind him and the sword lying in front of him identify him as a member of the samurai class. Condition (per appraisal): Backed

Matsunaga Hisahide About to Commit Suicide, from the series "Yoshitoshi's Courageous Warriors" https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/173661

one sheet; dancing monkey wearing gold anklets and bracelets and predominately grey and gold garments, holding a grey and red staff; white rabbit with red eyes at left The Monkey King Sun Wukong (Jap.: Son Gokū) is one of the main characters in the Chinese novel The Journey to the West, or Xiyouji (c. 1500–1600 CE). Hatched from a divine stone egg, he is endowed with intelligence and magical powers and gains immortality by eating peaches of longevity he stole from the garden of heaven. Eventually he accompanies the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang on his journey west to India. Yoshitoshi paired the Monkey King with the Jade Rabbit who, according to a widespread belief in Asia, lives on the moon, as the markings on the moon look like a rabbit with a mortar and pestle. The monkey’s gesture with his magical staff refers to a common theme in Japanese art of a monkey trying to catch the moon’s reflection in water.

Jade Rabbit: Sun Wukong https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127903/

Tokugawa Iemitsu and Ii Naotaka in Nikko

Tokugawa Iemitsu and Ii Naotaka in Nikko https://www.wikiart.org/en/tsukioka-yoshitoshi/tokugawa-iemitsu-and-ii-naotaka-in-nikko

three separate sheets; six swimming fish with branches with green leaves and purple and white flowers diagonally across picture plane from URC to bottom center; fish are brown, grey, white, mustard yellow, and pink with black spots Printed in April and published in May.

Six carp swimming beneath wisteria https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127969/

two men fighting underwater (?); man on bottom has bulging eyes and open mouth, with long hair and beard, wearing a robe with purple flowers; man on top has rounded hairstyle with wears multicolored armor; rock with round openings in background at right

Saitō Izu Nyūdō Ryūhon and Haku Neishi Settō https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127799/

two men; standing man with moustache at left with a drawn bow, wearing wide-legged blue pants, red and black armor and brown and white gloves, looking up; man with moustache at right, kneeling on one knee, wearing a blue and white garment with black and grey sleeves, holding a blue dagger (?), looking up at arrow above his head; yellow sky with building roof in background; orange-red and grey cloud (smoke?) from LLQ diagonally behind man in blue and white across picture plane These two different versions of the same design illustrate how publishers and artists made revisions in order to attract more customers. The version with a plain yellow background is the earlier one of the two. It is unclear at what point after the first release the color changes and addition of the dramatic cloud formations were undertaken or who demanded them. The scene illustrates a popular legend about the Nue monster that had terrorized the building in which the emperor slept until it was killed one night by the noted archer Genzanmi Yorimasa (Minamoto Yorimasa; 1106–1180) and I Hayata (dates unknown). Yoshitoshi portrays the two heroes looking up toward the monster—out of the print’s frame—which is typically depicted with the head of a monkey, body of a tiger, and tail of a snake.

Genzanmi Yorimasa and I no Hayata https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127870/

two men running on a wooden bridge; frontmost man is barefoot, wearing grey, black and red armor on his body and legs, with bare arms, wearing a green garment with brown scrolling vines, holding a blade-tipped spear with a pink cloth attached to the end; man in background wears zori with platforms and a red garment with green flowers; orange moon low in sky in LLQ

Ushiwakamaru, Son of Distinguished Family and Later Iyo-no-kami Minamoto Yoshitsune and Saitō Musashibō Benkei https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127872/

woman collapsing a hanging paper lantern with a burning candle inside; two lanterns visible, which are white with red floral and leaf designs; woman wears a blue kimono with blue and grey abstract leaf patterns, red trim and brown obi with yellow leaf fronds No. 25 on the table of contents

Appearing Observant, Behavior of a Kyoto Waitress of the Meiji Period https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127949/

one sheet; man on a white horse with another man falling in foreground, with feet in the air; man on horse wears multicolored armor and red, black and patterned garments; falling figures wears green, white, black and red armor, and blue and white pants

Sagami Jirō Taira Masakado https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127887/

swimmer with long hair, holding a knife in PR hand, entangled in an octopus' tentacles; thin paper mounted on backing sheet

The Diving Woman of Shido Bay https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127879/

The Underwater Fight

The Underwater Fight https://www.wikiart.org/en/tsukioka-yoshitoshi/the-underwater-fight

crouching old woman in profile from PL, with ghoulish wrinkled face with blue-tinted skin and wide, open mouth with four teeth; long white hair; woman wears a headband of green fabric with white and blue flowers; meaty stump on PL arm; white garments with a garment with blue ground and multicolored design around her PL arm; feet with talon-like toes

Picture of the old woman retrieving her arm https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127959/

Looking relaxed - The appearance of a Kyoto geisha of the Kansei era

Looking relaxed - The appearance of a Kyoto geisha of the Kansei era https://www.wikiart.org/en/tsukioka-yoshitoshi/not_detected_242422

two separate sheets, placed vertically; squatting frowning man wearing white, black and pale blue armor, with a yellow robe underneath and a white sash around his waist; man holds a spear in his PR hand; white banner with black text behind man; dark blue background This is not a warrior print, but it is the portrait of a Kabuki actor in the role of a general. It shows Nakamura Shikan IV (1831–1899), one of the most popular actors at that time, in the role of Satō Masakiyo in the play Kachidoki kachidoki shichiji no hatairo, performed in 1867. It was forbidden to include actual historical persons in Kabuki, so Satō Masakiyo was invented as the name for Katō Kiyomasa (1562–1611). Kiyomasa was related to a half brother of the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–1598), who was regarded as one of the unifiers of Japan. Kiyomasa became Hideyoshi’s most trusted general, and at a battle in 1583 Kiyomasa lost his helmet and lance but was nevertheless able to overcome his opponent. In the print, a banner displays the invocation Namu myōhō renge kyō (“Sutra of the devotion to the mystic law of the lotus”), a mantra of Nichiren Buddhism, of which Kiyomasa was a devoted believer.

Actor Nakamura Shikan IV as Satō Masakiyo https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127815/

four figures in the rain at night; central figure wearing a black robe over a purple robe with large white floral medallions and small black hat, accompanied by two figures behind him, each carrying large orange umbrellas and wearing yellow robes; small figure in LRC seen from back, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and a green kimono with blue flowers; orange rays extending down from URC to LRC Text by Kikubatei Rokō.

Lord Mashiba Hisayoshi, the Tairyō https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127786/

"A Glimpse of the Moon, Kaoyo, from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon," by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, illustrates a serene nocturnal scene with a moon overhead, capturing the grace of Lady Kaoyo draped in elegant garments. This artwork, part of Yoshitoshi's renowned series, combines romanticized historical storytelling with the natural beauty of the moonlit landscape.

A Glimpse of the Moon, Kaoyo, from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/173660

Looking feminine - The appearance of a ‘castle-toppler’ of the Tempo era

Looking feminine - The appearance of a ‘castle-toppler’ of the Tempo era https://www.wikiart.org/en/tsukioka-yoshitoshi/not_detected_242423

woman with white and purple irises behind her; woman wears Western dress, with a straw hat with black feathers and white flowers, pink and purple dress with purple and white plaid collar and large black buttons and blue tie at neckline; woman holds a Western style pink parasol with black handle and purple tassel with red bead In the final print of this nostalgic series, Yoshitoshi presents the future in a very modern-looking woman of his own time period and the only one in the set dressed in Western clothes. This married lady of the upper class is set against tall, blooming irises, indicating that the portrait depicts her during the month of May. She epitomizes the height of Western fashion, complete with bustle, buttons, bow tie, and parasol.

Appearing as if Having Been on a Stroll, Behavior of a Lady of the Meiji period https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127956/

Looking as if she wants to change - The appearance of a proprietress of the Kaei era

Looking as if she wants to change - The appearance of a proprietress of the Kaei era https://www.wikiart.org/en/tsukioka-yoshitoshi/looking-as-if-she-wants-to-change-the-appearance-of-a-proprietress-of-the-kaei-era

seated man wearing black robe with dragon design with red lining; man looks over his PR shoulder into a mirror, which reflects his face as a brown rat's face with black eye; man in turquoise robe with white flowers at right, with both arms up and mouth open, brows furrowed

Shumitsu Kanja Yoshitaka https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127802/

one sheet; man crouching behind a black lantern; man wears purple patterned pants and red, black and brown armor on chest and arms; man holds a spear; blue ground

11, Chikamatsu Kanroku Minamoto Yukishige https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127823/

woman holding a baby against her chest with her kimono open in front; woman wears a grey, yellow and purple striped kimono with black trim; baby wears garment with blue and white abstract flower pattern, with red and pink floral trim No. 26 on the table of contents

Appearing Cute, Behavior of a Housewife since 1877 https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127950/

woman lying on a red pallet with a black neckrest and blue and white pillow with yellow tassel beneath her head; woman wears a red and white abstract floral patterned kimono with similar purple pattern around neckline; floral screen behind woman No. 30 on the table of contents

Appearing Sleepy, Behavior of a Harlot of the Meiji Period https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127954/

man with a long handwritten scroll extending downward held behind his back, standing on a platform before an open window were a woman in pink, red and brown is seated, holding a red and white fan; another man's face wearing gold spectacles visible in LRQ behind a blue stone fountain; garden in background at right Actors Nakamura Tsuruzō I as Ono Kudayū (R), Kataoka Nizaemon VIII as Ōboshi Yuranosuke (C), and Onoe Kikugorō IV as Okaru (L). Related to the play Kanadehon Chūshingura 仮名手本忠臣蔵, performed at the Nakamura Theater in the 4th month of 1860.

Seventh Act https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127748/

Frederick W. Gookin Collection

Ichikawa Danjūrō IX as Kezori Kuemon https://www.artic.edu/artworks/102617/

Japanese war in Kagoshima

Japanese war in Kagoshima https://www.wikiart.org/en/tsukioka-yoshitoshi/not_detected_242417

Looking dark - The appearance of a wife during the Meiji era

Looking dark - The appearance of a wife during the Meiji era https://www.wikiart.org/en/tsukioka-yoshitoshi/looking-dark-the-appearance-of-a-wife-during-the-meiji-era

man kneeling on PL knee, with PR leg outstretched to side, holding a gold disc behind his head with both hands; man wears red headband and blue and white armor with black fringe at bottom, with a garment with large blue flowers of red ground tired around his waist; clouds of salmon colored smoke coming from black braiser at left behind man

Ōshima Tanzō https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127800/

Yoshitsune with benkei

Yoshitsune with benkei https://www.wikiart.org/en/tsukioka-yoshitoshi/yoshitsune-with-benkei