THIRTY-TWO ASPECTS OF CUSTOMS AND MANNERS

Like the One Hundred Aspects of the Moon and the New Forms of Thirty-Six Ghosts series, the 1888 series Thirty-Two Aspects of Customs and Manners (Fuzoku Sanjuniso) is regarded as one of Yoshitoshi's finest. However, unlike those two earlier series and his many memorable triptychs and diptychs of the mid- to late 1880s, the latter series does not depict figures from history, folklore, theater or literature. Instead, Yoshitoshi shows women of the present and not-too-distant past, engaged in everyday activities which filled their lives with pleasure, difficulty, pain, and relief. This treatment of the traditional bijin motif is unique both for the historical contextualization of each composition within a specific era as well as the intimacy and honesty with which it presents its beautiful subjects. Most designs were embellished with highlights such as a sprinkling of mica and burnished or embossed details. As is the case with the Thirty-Six Ghosts series, three multi-colored bokashi stripes in the print title cartouche is generally indicative of an early printing.