Monkey

Monkey belongs to Fujin Juunishi (Women and the Zodiac). The set links women and children with the animals of the East Asian zodiac. Each animal supplies a playful visual or symbolic cue while the figures translate an abstract calendrical cycle into scenes of daily life.

The title identifies the design’s particular figure, episode, object, or place, anchoring Gekkō’s composition in a larger network of historical narrative and cultural association. The catalog identifies animal and women among the principal motifs. Gekkō uses their relationship to clarify action, season, setting, and narrative emphasis rather than treating them as interchangeable decoration.

Gekkō’s print style is noted for painterly contours, soft color transitions, and reserved paper, effects achieved through the collaborative disciplines of block carving and hand printing.