Jade Rabbit: Sun Wukong, October 1889
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The Monkey King Sun Wukong (Jap.: Son Gokū) is one of the main characters in the Chinese novel The Journey to the West, or Xiyouji (c. 1500–1600 CE). Hatched from a divine stone egg, he is endowed with intelligence and magical powers and gains immortality by eating peaches of longevity he stole from the garden of heaven. Eventually he accompanies the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang on his journey west to India.
Yoshitoshi paired the Monkey King with the Jade Rabbit who, according to a widespread belief in Asia, lives on the moon, as the markings on the moon look like a rabbit with a mortar and pestle. The monkey’s gesture with his magical staff refers to a common theme in Japanese art of a monkey trying to catch the moon’s reflection in water.
Details
- Title
- Jade Rabbit: Sun Wukong
- Artist Life
- 1839 - 1892
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2017.106.171
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Keyes, Courage and Silence (1982), no. 478.73; Iwakiri, Yoshitoshi (2014), fig. 230, p. 277.
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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