Arkivism
Monkey reaching for the reflection of the moon
Public domain

Monkey reaching for the reflection of the moon

Ishikawa Utayama · 1824 · color woodcut; paper

From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

A monkey hangs with one arm from a branch of a pine tree and tries to grab the reflection of the moon. The representation is depicted as if it were a standing room screen (tsuitate). Such a screen was usually placed directly behind the door of a house, to keep evil spirits out, due to the belief that they could only move in straight lines. With three poems.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own description
Credit lineAapje reikt naar de weerspiegeling van de maan. 1824. Ishikawa Utayama. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.

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