Poster - Hashimoto Kansetsu, Old Monkey with Cherry in Autumn
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Poster - Hashimoto Kansetsu, Old Monkey with Cherry in Autumn
With this framed poster - Old Monkey with Cherry in Autumn, you make a striking statement in any room. Printed on high-quality, thick, matte paper.
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• 0.26 mm (10.3 mil) thick
• Black and white frame made of semi-hard alder wood
• Frame made of solid oak wood
• Front protective film made of Acrylite
• Includes hanging hardware
• 21 × 30 cm posters are size A4
• Raw product components in the USA from Japan and the USA
• Raw product components in the EU from Japan and Latvia
How to attach the hooks to horizontal frames of 61 × 91 cm:
Attach each of the mounting hooks 2.5 cm away from the frame corners when hanging the poster horizontally.
Hashimoto Kansetsu and the “Old Monkey with Cherry in Autumn” – The Quiet Melancholy of an Animal Master
When thinking of the great animal painters of Japan, one name inevitably stands out: Hashimoto Kansetsu (1883–1945). The artist from Kyoto is considered one of the most important representatives of Nihonga painting, a style that combines traditional Japanese techniques with influences from Chinese literati painting. Kansetsu was a quiet observer of nature – someone who not only depicted animals but gave them their own soul.
Among his numerous works, one motif stands out particularly: the “Old Monkey with Cherry in Autumn”. The title alone arouses curiosity. An old monkey? A cherry? And in autumn, a season of transition. What sounds simple at first is actually one of the most poetic animal depictions in modern Japanese art.
Who was Hashimoto Kansetsu?
Kansetsu was born at a time when Japan was moving between tradition and modernity. Nihonga painting consciously sought a balance between these worlds. Kansetsu traveled early to China, studied classical ink techniques, and developed a distinctive style: soft, restrained, yet full of emotional depth.
Especially animals – monkeys, tigers, birds – became his main motifs. Not because he wanted to study them naturalistically, but because through them he could express human moods. In his paintings, monkeys look thoughtfully into the sky, tigers appear exhausted rather than aggressive, and even small birds carry the melancholy of the seasons within them.
The old monkey – a mirror of life
The work “Old Monkey with Cherry in Autumn” shows how sensitively Kansetsu worked with symbols. In the picture, an older monkey sits, its fur slightly tousled, its gaze calm and inward. It holds a cherry or a cherry branch in its hands. Behind it: emptiness. No distracting background, no dramatic scene – just silence.
Why a monkey?
In East Asian art tradition, monkeys often symbolize humanity, intelligence, and emotional closeness. They resemble us in gesture and expression. An old monkey therefore carries a special symbolism: experience, vulnerability, the awareness of one’s own transience.
And why a cherry in autumn?
The cherry – especially the cherry blossom – is considered in Japan a symbol of beauty and transience.
But in autumn it no longer appears as a fresh blossom. It becomes a last remnant of summer, a sign of the unstoppable: winter is coming.
The interplay of old monkey, last cherry, and autumnal emptiness creates an image that goes far beyond an animal depiction. It is a quiet commentary on life itself.
The poetry of emptiness
Kansetsu was a master at creating maximum effect with minimal means. The empty spaces around the monkey are not simply unpainted – they set a counterpoint. Japanese aesthetics call this Ma, the space between things, which is just as important as the motif itself.
It is a space that invites calm.
A space that lets us listen.
A space that makes silence audible.
A painting you feel – not just see
Many viewers report feeling strangely connected to the old monkey. Perhaps because each of us knows moments when we pause and look back. Perhaps because the tender way the monkey holds the cherry reminds us of the small, precious things that carry us through life.
Kansetsu lets us share a timeless feeling:
the quiet melancholy of autumn.
Why this work fascinates to this day
The modern world is loud, hectic, and full of stimuli. A work like “Old Monkey with Cherry in Autumn” is the opposite: calm, meditative, honest.
It reminds us:
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that aging does not mean loss
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that gentleness is a form of strength
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that beauty often lies in simplicity
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that silence can tell a story
Kansetsu succeeds in capturing the soul of a moment – not through dramatic colors, but through restraint and respect for the motif.
Final thoughts
Hashimoto Kansetsu was an artist who painted animals with a dignity usually found only in human portraits. The old monkey in autumn is one of the best examples of this. It sits there, calm and wise, reminding us of transience and at the same time of the beauty of the moment.
A picture that lingers long.
A picture you do not forget.
