The proud title Ogata Gekko gave this very rare signature series of 13 (12 plus title page) woodblock prints, Gekko Gahou, which means Gekko's Artwork, is a confident declaration from a mature artist that ukiyo, the floating world, may be ephemeral, but this art that bears his name is for the ages. At the same time, though he was one of Japan's greatest artists, he displayed a sense of humor throughout his work, and a willingness to poke fun even at himself is evident here in the satirical self-portrait of the artist as a monkey in an artist's smock.
