Fujiwara no Yasumasa Playing His Flute in the Moonlight

About this artwork

Fujiwara no Yasumasa’s windblown robes contrast sharply with the strong, fixed pose of the robber Hakamadare Yasusuke in this woodblock print. According to legend, Yasumasa, a renowned poet and flutist who lived during the Heian period (740–1185), so charmed the would-be thief with his music and confident bearing that the outlaw meekly followed him home.

Art Historical Context

Step into the ethereal glow of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi *Fujiwara no Yasum Playing His Flute in Moonlight* (c. 1883), a stunning color woodblock print from Japan's ukiyo-e tradition. This ōban triptychthree large panels uniting into a panoramic scene measuring 73 × 37 cm—captures a legendary moment from Heian-era folklore (794–1185). The noble Fujiwara no Yasa stands serenely on a moonlit bridge, flute to his lips, his melody so enchanting that it halts a notorious robber in his tracks, transforming violence into reverence. Yoshitoshi, the last great master of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), masterfully employs the woodblock technique, layering vibrant colors and subtle gradients to evoke the night's luminous mystery. The triptych format allows dramatic spatial depth, with the moon's silvery light casting poetic shadows and highlighting Yasumasa's elegant robes, blending historical realism with supernatural allure—a hallmark of Yoshitoshi's style amid Japan's Meiji-era modernization. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia department, this print celebrates cultural virtues like harmony and artistry prevailing over chaos, offering visitors a window into ukiyo-e's fading golden age. Its timeless beauty reminds us how a single note can bridge worlds.

About the Artist

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi · 1839–1892

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was born on April 30, 1839, in the Shimbashi district of Edo, the city that would become Tokyo. At the age of eleven he was apprenticed to Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of the great masters of the Japanese woodblock print, who gave the boy the artist name 'Yoshitoshi' as a mark of lineage within the Utagawa School. From Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi absorbed the full tradition of ukiyo-e — th...