Battle of the Monkey and the Crab
Painting
ca. 1812 (made)
ca. 1812 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This sheet shows the finished designs for a small printed book, the coloured panel representing the front cover. Usually aimed at children, such books were popular in Japan towards the end of the Edo period (1615-1868). 'The Battle of the Monkey and the Crab' is a Japanese folk tale in which a crab avenges the murder of its parent by a monkey.
The story begins with the monkey tricking the crab into exchanging his rice ball for the monkey's persimmon seed. The crab plants the seed and nurtures it until a fine persimmon tree grows. When the tree brings forth its fruit, the crab realises he is unable to climb the tree to retrieve it and asks his friend the monkey to bring it to him.
The greedy monkey climbs into the branches and devours the fruit, throwing the hard unripe persimmon at the protesting crab below. The crab dies in the onslaught and the monkey runs away. When the crab's child realises the monkey is responsible, he calls upon his friends, shown here as an octopus, a mortar and a pestle, to help avenge his parent's death.
This sheet is a copyist's drawing and would have been copied from Kuninao's original sketches. The copyist's drawing is usually destroyed when the initial printing block is carved. The survival of this sheet suggests that the designs were never realised as finished prints.
The story begins with the monkey tricking the crab into exchanging his rice ball for the monkey's persimmon seed. The crab plants the seed and nurtures it until a fine persimmon tree grows. When the tree brings forth its fruit, the crab realises he is unable to climb the tree to retrieve it and asks his friend the monkey to bring it to him.
The greedy monkey climbs into the branches and devours the fruit, throwing the hard unripe persimmon at the protesting crab below. The crab dies in the onslaught and the monkey runs away. When the crab's child realises the monkey is responsible, he calls upon his friends, shown here as an octopus, a mortar and a pestle, to help avenge his parent's death.
This sheet is a copyist's drawing and would have been copied from Kuninao's original sketches. The copyist's drawing is usually destroyed when the initial printing block is carved. The survival of this sheet suggests that the designs were never realised as finished prints.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Battle of the Monkey and the Crab (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Ink and colour on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, Ink and colour on paper, by Utagawa Kuninao Japan ca. 1812 |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Object history | Purchased from Mr. Hogitaro Inada, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. Bought from sale of Happer Collection at Mssrs Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge. |
| Summary | This sheet shows the finished designs for a small printed book, the coloured panel representing the front cover. Usually aimed at children, such books were popular in Japan towards the end of the Edo period (1615-1868). 'The Battle of the Monkey and the Crab' is a Japanese folk tale in which a crab avenges the murder of its parent by a monkey. The story begins with the monkey tricking the crab into exchanging his rice ball for the monkey's persimmon seed. The crab plants the seed and nurtures it until a fine persimmon tree grows. When the tree brings forth its fruit, the crab realises he is unable to climb the tree to retrieve it and asks his friend the monkey to bring it to him. The greedy monkey climbs into the branches and devours the fruit, throwing the hard unripe persimmon at the protesting crab below. The crab dies in the onslaught and the monkey runs away. When the crab's child realises the monkey is responsible, he calls upon his friends, shown here as an octopus, a mortar and a pestle, to help avenge his parent's death. This sheet is a copyist's drawing and would have been copied from Kuninao's original sketches. The copyist's drawing is usually destroyed when the initial printing block is carved. The survival of this sheet suggests that the designs were never realised as finished prints. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.5094-1910 |
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| Record created | November 10, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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