Sun Wukong Exhaling Manzai Performers, 1836
Utagawa Kuninaoexpand_more
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paperexpand_more
Gift of Louis W. Hill, Jr.expand_more P.75.51.48
Not on Viewexpand_more
The monkey Sun Wukong is a character in the epic Chinese novel Xiyouji (Journey to the West), written in the late 16th century. Based on the travel diary of the famous Chinese monk Xuanzang, who traveled to India to study Buddhism, the novel is a fictionalized version of the monk’s long and difficult pilgrimage. One of three creatures sent by the Buddha to protect Xuanzang on the journey, Sun Wukong has the magical ability to replicate himself. In the story, he stuffs a clump of his own fur into his mouth and exhales, and the airborne hairs transform into miniature versions of himself.
Instead of thousands of Wukong replicas appearing in the exhaled breath, Kuninao pictured two shadowy figures dressed as manzai performers. Manzai (literally, “ten thousand ages”) is an auspicious and comical dance-and-song routine performed at New Year’s by two entertainers as a means of bestowing blessings on the community. Two poems inscribed in the square cartouche strike a celebratory note.
The sun is so glittering on this spring day that its light could reach the Chinese capital. How auspicious is this New Year!
Let’s enjoy the elegant dance of manzai performers. May Japan last for ten thousand years.
Morinoya Kiyokage
As blown from the monkey’s mouth
the puff produced something different, something more amusing than clones. Here they are the manzai performers, completely appropriate for this spring day.
Fukuhō Arimi
Details
- Title
- Sun Wukong Exhaling Manzai Performers
- Artist Life
- 1793 - 1854
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.75.51.48
- 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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