The moon and the geese (Nishijin textile)

こむな夜か 又も有うか 月に雁

Will there be such a night again? Geese against the moon

This is a haiku by Hiroshige, written in the upper left corner. Will there ever be another night like this? No, there will never be another night like this. This ukiyoe masterpiece depicts three geese soaring down in the autumn sky against the backdrop of a full moon.

By combining only 11 colors of ultra-fine threads in various combinations, even the most subtle nuances are woven together with amazing delicacy. Gold leaf gently expresses the roundness of the moon, and indigo (Hiroshige blue) blurs the border between the sky and clouds to express depth.

The texture and warmth of the threads, as well as the gold leaf that shines variously in the light, give this work a different feel from prints.