Trained Monkey under a Blossoming Cherry Tree

In Japan, monkeys were regarded as messengers of the gods and were believed to protect horses and cattle. The traditional performance of sarumawashi originally served a religious purpose, helping to ward off evil and protect animals. During the Edo period, monkeys also became popular subjects in paintings and prints, including Zen Buddhist paintings. Here, the monkey is depicted climbing onto a platform and gazing fiercely at something, perhaps cherry petals drifting in the breeze or an insect in flight. The peaceful atmosphere of spring is completely disrupted by the monkey’s tense and stern gaze. For a similar work by Hiroshige with the same subject with maple tree, see Suzuki Juzo, Utagawa Hiroshige (Nihon Keizai Shinbun, 1970), no. 186.
The poem by Ki no Haseo (845-912) has been read and translated by Henri Kerlen as:
Jin’en issue no aki no mura sakaeri
saru sakebite akatsuki no kyo fukashi
Remote is the autumn village that yields a trail of cooking smoke,
Deep is the dawn ravine that rings with three cries from a gibbon.