22 Utagawa Hiroshige 1797 – 1858 Pet Monkey and Cherry Blossoms

publisher: Sanoya Kihei

A delicately balanced composition in the narrow vertical ōtanzaku format depicts a tamed monkey sitting on a wooden post beneath blossoming cherry branches. The falling petals and the animal’s pensive expression embody Hiroshige’s sense of transience and melancholy (mono no aware). On the left appears a Chinese-style poem by Ki no Haseo, from the anthology Wakan roeishu, traditionally associated with the theme of autumn solitude.

This impression represents a later printing from the original blocks, with slightly softened outlines and faded bokashi gradation, yet retaining the full poetic and compositional quality of the design — a quintessential example of Hiroshige’s lyrical naturalism.