'yugao'
high-quality giclee print
A4 size, 350gsm
 
This artwork is inspired by one of my favourite Japanese woodblock prints. The original was created by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka as part of his series called ‘One Hundred Aspects of the Moon’, where each piece is tied together by a single, poetic motif - the Moon. 
 
The print I chose to reinterpret is number 29: The Yūgao Chapter from ‘The Tale of Genji’. 
 
Lady Yūgao is a character from The Tale of Genji, considered Japan’s first novel, written by Murasaki Shikibu. Prince Genji falls in love with her, a mysterious woman, the owner of the garden of wild white moonflowers. (Though, to be honest, Genji falls in love quite often throughout the story.) She never reveals her real name, and so he calls her Yūgao, after the flowers. Tragically, the jealous spirit of one of Genji’s lovers takes Yūgao’s life. Grief-stricken, Genji mourns her deeply. Here, Yūgao appears as a ghost, drifting through her moonlit garden in search of the love she lost. She fades away into nothingness, as quickly as delicate yūgao flowers.