Monkey dressed in a Kabuki costume

Monkeys are among the animals that live in the warmer regions of Japan. Regarding monkeys as clever buffoons, many Japanese throughout history have had friendly relationships with them. Using the animals' natural inclination to imitate human behavior, people train them to perform certain tricks for street-corner shows. Here, a monkey is dressed in a costume for the Kabuki dance depicting the carrying of sea water from which salt (shiokumi) will be made. The animal carries two buckets. Unable to understand the purpose of his action, which requires careful steps, he is about to drop one of the buckets. Mori Sosen, a native of Osaka, is known as "the monkey painter." He was in fact a well-rounded painter of many subjects, including landscapes, and not until 1786 did he turn to animals for his subject matter, quickly establishing himself as the most famous painter of monkeys in Japan. He excelled in highly realistic depictions of their soft fur.