Description:
ōban tate-e; namazu-e; nishiki-e
Label Text:
The monkey, catfish, and gourd combination is based on a famous Zen kōan, a kind of rhetorical question or parable that students of Zen Buddhism contemplate, under the guidance of a master, in order to reach intuitive insights: “How can one catch a catfish with a gourd?” To a Zen follower, the gourd represents the state of enlightenment, which is empty of all worldly concern. Thus, trapping a catfish, a metaphor for gaining any material benefit from the attainment of wisdom, is self-contradictory. Notice the dramatic and humorous elements that Kunisada employs, such as the playful, almost-human face of the monkey, and the catfish, who seems to smile, as if aware he will never fit inside the small gourd.
- BB, ed., 2015
Tags:
fish; monkeys; animals; movement Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+1996.133 |
