Hazy-night moon - Kumasaka

The bandit-priest Kumasaka mistakenly attacked a gold merchant that was accompanied by Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune defeated Kumasaka's gang, and subsequently killed Kumasaka in 1147 AD. A Noh play was written by Ujinobu in the mid 15th century where the ghost of Kumasaka describes these events. Here, the ghost appears in a Noh robes and mask. The moon in this print is suggested by Kumasaka's yellow eyes, and Yoshitoshi's audience would have been familiar with the "hazy-night moon" which is referenced in the Noh play. There are two variants of this print, a dark indigo background and a light blue (click to see) background. The light blue background is much less commonly seen, and is thought by Stevenson to represent the earlier state. The text of the Noh play can be found online.