Monkeys II

A second print in what appears to be a sequence on monkey (saru) subjects, suggesting that Shusui returned to this theme more than once. Monkeys carry layered meaning in Japanese visual culture: they appear in the zodiac cycle, in Buddhist iconography (the three wise monkeys at Nikko), and in studies of native Japanese macaques observed in mountain settings. Mori Sosen's eighteenth-century paintings established a tradition of close anatomical observation of monkeys that influenced later printmakers. A composition of this type may show one or several monkeys in a natural setting — pine boughs, rocky outcrops, or hot-spring environments characteristic of Japanese macaque habitat. Mokuhanga production permits fine line work for the fur, often aided by bokashi shading to suggest volume in the body. The numbered title ('II') indicates either a serial conception or the existence of a related earlier print, a numbering practice common among twentieth-century woodblock artists producing themed groups for sale through dealer networks.