Moon at the Lonley House

Artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 (Japanese, 1839–1892)

DateAugust 1890

Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper

Dimensions35.6 x 24.8 cm (14 x 9 3/4 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

MarkingsArtist's seal: Taiso

Credit LineStoddard Acquisition Fund

Terms

Object number2009.97

DescriptionAn urban legend of a crone who lured pregnant women to their deaths in order to obtain the fetus’s liver and cure the disease of a local lord, the story was first popularized as a 1762 puppet play, then as a kabuki version in 1856. Although the story existed in several versions, the knife, kudzu vines, and diagonal rope used to hang her victims are common visual elements that often were used to symbolize the story as a whole. Though her victim is not present, the thick brown pigment of the crone’s coat provides a sense of visceral reality to the scene.
Label TextAn urban legend of a crone who lured pregnant women to their deaths in order to obtain the fetus’s liver and cure the disease of a local lord, the story was first popularized as a 1762 puppet play, then as a kabuki version in 1856. Although the story existed in several versions, the knife, kudzu vines, and diagonal rope used to hang her victims are common visual elements that often were used to symbolize the story as a whole. Though her victim is not present, the thick brown pigment of the crone’s coat provides a sense of visceral reality to the scene.ProvenanceRonin Gallery, New York, NY

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