Hanga
Monkey Reaching for the Reflection of the Moon by Ohara Koson — Japanese Color woodblock print, c. 1930

Monkey Reaching for the Reflection of the Moon

水面の月を掴む猿

by Ohara Koson

Shin-hanga
MoonlightAnimals
Date:
c. 1930
Medium:
Color woodblock print
Format:
Oban
Edition:
Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Description

A monkey hangs from a tree branch over water, reaching toward the moon''s reflection on the surface. This classic Buddhist and Zen motif symbolizes the futility of grasping at illusions. Koson renders the scene with characteristic elegance, the monkey''s fur textured in fine detail against the luminous water below.

More Prints by Ohara Koson

Cat and Goldfish by Ohara Koson

Cat and Goldfish

c. 1928–1930

Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

Heron or Egret by Ohara Koson

Heron or Egret

c. 1900–1945

Woodblock print

"Snipes and Reeds," 1926 and "Wild Ducks and Pampas Grass" by Ohara Koson

"Snipes and Reeds," 1926 and "Wild Ducks and Pampas Grass"

Two woodblocks in colors (framed separately)

Barn Swallow in flight by Ohara Koson

Barn Swallow in flight

Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)

More Moonlight Prints

Mount Fuji on a Moonlit Night, Kawai Bridge (Tsukiyo no Fuji [Kawaibashi]), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)" by Kawase Hasui

Mount Fuji on a Moonlit Night, Kawai Bridge (Tsukiyo no Fuji [Kawaibashi]), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)"

1947

Color woodblock print; oban

Evening Moon at Nakanoshima, Sapporo (Sapporo Nakanoshima no yuzuki), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition (Nihon fukei shu higashi Nihon hen)" by Kawase Hasui

Evening Moon at Nakanoshima, Sapporo (Sapporo Nakanoshima no yuzuki), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition (Nihon fukei shu higashi Nihon hen)"

March 1933

Color woodblock print; oban

Matsushima in Moonlight (Tsuki no Matsushima) by Kawase Hasui

Matsushima in Moonlight (Tsuki no Matsushima)

1919

Color woodblock print

Kiyozumi Garden in Moonlight by Kawase Hasui

Kiyozumi Garden in Moonlight

January 1938

Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Shin-Hanga: Japan's Twentieth-Century Print Revival

Frequently Asked Questions

Monkey Reaching for the Reflection of the Moon (水面の月を掴む猿) was created by Ohara Koson (小原古邨) in c. 1930.

Monkey Reaching for the Reflection of the Moon was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1930).

Monkey Reaching for the Reflection of the Moon depicts moonlight and animals.