Ghosts & the Moon

A thin moon over a warrior, a poet, a ghost. Japanese woodblock prints of ghosts, demons and the moon here center on Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, published from 1885 to 1892. Yoshitoshi, often called the last great master of ukiyo-e, drew each scene from history, legend, poetry and the theater, with the moon in every one, sometimes only as a reflection. Prints here are dated across those years, from 1885 to 1891, with framed number 19 of the series among them.

The supernatural runs through the rest of the category: demons, spirits and ghosts in Japanese prints of the 1880s and 1890s, one dated 1881, and a 20th century print as well. Several come framed and ready to hang. Hang a moon print in a bedroom or a dim hallway, where the night scenes feel at home. Ghost stories, told without raising the voice.