Monkey and Crab Japanese Folklore Mythology Fable Tale | Keisai Eisen Edo Period Vintage Woodblock Fine Art Print Buddha gift Each ikat's full spiritual meaning

Each ikat's full spiritual meaning was only known to the original weaver and to persons privy to her esoteric knowledge

She is often depicted as a beautiful and fierce female figure

The actors are shown with exaggerated facial expressions and exaggerated body movements

This means to let go of our false beliefs and illusions about the self and the world

Monkey and Crab Japanese Folklore Mythology Fable Tale | Keisai Eisen Edo Period Vintage Woodblock Fine Art Print Buddha gift Each ikat's full spiritual meaningThis surimono print references a well known Japanese folktale in which a monkey takes advantage of a crab, claiming that persimmon seeds will grow into a fruit prodicing tree. The persimmons eventually ripen, and the monkey offers to pick them for the crab, only to eat them himself. In a fit of aggression, the monkey throws an unripe persimmon at the crab, fatally injuring her. Before the crab dies, she gives birth to offspring, who eventually grow up