* Yoshitoshi’s One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, John Stevenson, Hotei Publishing, Netherlands 2001, pl. Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art S20 ArtGallery of Greater Victoria 1997.046.001 The British Museum1906,1220,0.1412 New York Public Library Humanities and SocialSciences Library / Spencer Collection Minneapolis Institute of theArts 2002.161.1 Yale University Art Gallery 2011.143.1.2 Hagi Uragami Museum (Yamaguchi, Japan) UO1504 Tokyo Metropolitan Library 加4722-82 The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University 201-4504 Ritsumeikan University NDL-541-00-093 THE Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also known as the Chinese Moon Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month each year September 24 this year. Likely from the album issued by publisher Akiyama Buemon shortly after Yoshitoshi's deathĪkiyama Buemon (秋山武右エ門) Ĭhōkō Yamamoto tō 彫工山本刀 Įxcellent - Japanese album backing paper very minor marks and flaws One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyaku sugata 月百姿) The roots of Chinese and Japanese mythology run very deep.Ĭhange E Flees to the Moon (Jōga hongetsu tsuki 嫦娥奔月) The story told is that Houyi built a beautiful jade palace for the Goddess of the Western. Included in the procession are symbols associated with the deity, all of which are represented in the Moon Series a white moon (representing the yin, or female, essence), a frog (the metamorphosis of Chang E), a rabbit, a nine-tailed fox, and a sacred cassia tree. The tale of the goddess involves Houyi, the Archer and famous builder. Wall paintings that illustrate a procession of the Royal Mother of the West have been found in a tomb in Henan which dates from 49 B.C., when Chang E’s story was already ancient. To reward him for his heroic deeds, the goddess Xiwangmu () gave him an elixir of immortality, a prize typically reserved for immortals who had achieved enlightenment. He raised his bow to the heavens and shot down nine of the ten suns. 5 Ancient Legends About the Secret of Immortality The elixir of immortality is a concept that can be found in Taoist mythology. One day, a skilled archer named Hou Yi () decided that enough was enough. This enabled him to give a larger range of expressions to his characters, increasing his ability to convey mood.Ī fascinating discovery has recently been made in China. too much elixir of immortality and floated to the moon. Rather than use the traditional conventions of woodblock prints, Yoshitoshi often showed his figures from unusual angles. The pink of the moon behind Chang E is a very fugitive color, which will lose its freshness in a matter of days if exposed to sunlight.Ĭhang E’s face is foreshortened as she looks down at the jade container, which has a frog on its cover. The printing process flattens the fibers of the paper, leaving unprinted areas standing in relief with the natural, rough texture of the paper. She had a single vial of the elixir of life, and she gave. The clouds are printed in yellow, black and gray, with the white edges of the clouds left unprinted. Houyi sought the aid of Xi Wang Mu on mount Kunlun to restore them, and the goddess took pity on him. Attempting to swallow the moon became a Daoist metaphor for the unattainable.Ĭhang E is wearing Yoshitoshi’s conception of archaic Chinese robes – ribbons flutter as she floats over a sea of clouds. The frog who lives in the moon sometimes tries to swallow it, another early attempt to explain eclipses. The frog represents rain and is associated with the hazy moon that indicates the coming of rain. By drinking the elixir, Chang E became immortal, and the gods were therefore unable to punish her presumption with death. Since then, she lives in the Moon Palace or Guanghan Gong and is respected as the Chinese Moon Goddess.įrom that time, Chang E only could watch her beloved husband Hou Yi from far away, and her only company is the Moon Rabbit or Jade Rabbit, in Chinese Yutu.The story is sometimes taken further. The most popular version of Chang E taking the elixir alone was that she was forced to when a greedy bad guy was trying to steal the elixir.Īfter she landed on the moon, she realized that she couldn't leave there anymore. However, Chang E took the elixir alone and flew to the moon. Hou Yi and Chang E planned to share it after Hou Yi defeated all evil monsters. If two people share that elixir, they both would stay immortal if someone takes it alone, he or she could fly into the sky and become a deity. Bottoms up Archaeologists in China have discovered a 2,000-year-old bronze pot that contains a yellow liquid once believed to be an elixir of immortality. Chang E and the Magical Pill of Immortalityīecause of Hou Yi's exceptional contribution and fearless spirit, he had rewarded with an elixir of life by the deity Xi Wang Mu (Queen Mother of the West) living on Mount Kunlun.
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