A monkey jumps into a waterfall

1864

Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Dimensions: 13 × 9 in. (33.02 × 22.86 cm) (image, Vertical ōban) 14 7/16 × 10 1/16 in. (36.67 × 25.56 cm) (sheet)
Genre: Print
Museum: Minneapolis Institute of Art

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Japan

About

The Monkey King Sun Wukong (Son Gokū in Japanese) is one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel The Journey to the West, or Xiyouji. Born from a divine stone egg, he is endowed with intelligence and magical powers. In search of spiritual understanding, he sets off on a journey but is imprisoned for bringing havoc to the Celestial Palace of the Jade Emperor. Eventually he is released to accompany the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang on his journey west to India. This print shows a group of monkeys observing a waterfall. The bravest monkey jumps through the waterfall to discover its source and is later crowned the Monkey King.