Yoshitoshi's 100 Aspects of the Moon
A Haibun Collection
Fox-Trot-9

4: The Gion District

The forty-seven gallants disperse upon the slaying of their lord, as blossom petals disperse upon the blades of stirring winds. With the lulling of such winds, old Kyoto lulls itself to rest upon the moon-filled calm of evening. Yet the hearts of men still beat and strive and yearn and the blood of vengeance still flows through whispers of conspiracy.

The confidential
Moon overlooks the intrigue—
Our silent witness.

(To be continued...)

A/N: Picture printed in October 1885. It depicts a scene from the famous Kabuki play Chushingura, in which the young Oishi Rikiya delivers a letter containing news about the forty-seven Ronin to the Ichiriki Teahouse in Kyoto where his father, Oishi Yuranosuke, is secretly organizing a vendetta to avenge his master's death.