Monkey Reaching for the Reflection of the Moon
水面の月を掴む猿
by Ohara Koson
- Date:
- c. 1930
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
水面の月を掴む猿
by Ohara Koson
Koson's vast output of ~450 designs spans birds, flowers, fish, insects, and occasional landscapes. While his large production keeps most prints accessible, early Kokkeido-period impressions with muted, elegant Meiji-era coloring are distinctly more sought after than the brighter later Watanabe editions.
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.
![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](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/d0960668-1e73-339a-b182-fb995a54bff0/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
1947
Color woodblock print; oban
March 1933
Color woodblock print; oban
1919
Color woodblock print
January 1938
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
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.
