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Osa Toho

The Monkey Seal

spring 1884
Color woodblock print; surimono
25 × 18.6 cm (9.8 × 7.3 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This relatively late surimono celebrates the year of the monkey with a small image of the animal embracing a peach on top of a small seal. By the end of the 19th century, surimono prints were losing popularity. The theme of change is highlighted in this print, which features two seals inscribed with different calendar systems. The monkey seal, which seems to stand unused, depicts the cyclical calendar imported from China. The other seal, which is red with ink and ready to use, shows the new, purely Japanese calendar system. Perhaps Osha Toho was wistfully signaling the inevitable change from the old to the new calendar system with this print.

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