Kinto Picks a Plum Branch in the Moonlight

This print is part of Yoshitoshi's famous series "100 Aspects of the Moon" which depicts scenes from traditional Chinese and Japanese history and lore. Yoshitoshi depicts here the highly admired poet Fujiwara no Kinto (966-1041), who was also a musician, scholar and Heian Court official, deriving inspiration for a poem. The poem reads, "In the midst of glimmering whiteness, among the night's moon shadows - I part the snow and pluck plum blossoms".