Josui
Tokyo. Late-19th to early 20th century
An octopus sits atop an awabi shell, one long tentacle slithering round the back of an alarmed monkey that rests its paw on the extended limb in pacifying gesture. The octopus’s eyes, inlaid in dark horn, and protruding siphon seem to express astonishment while the simian, the eyes inlaid in brass, and wrinkled face with traces of red stain, appears to be appealing to its captor. The monkey’s body is tensed and ready for flight.
In Japanese mythology the octopus is attributed with healing powers, while the monkey is renowned for its cunning. The netsuke alludes a famous episode in which Ryujin, the Dragon King of the Sea, has summoned his octopus physician to attend to his ailing daughter. A monkey liver is duly prescribed as the remedy for her ills. Here the cephalopod has secured his monkey and is listening with surprise to the nervous creature’s protestations of unsuitability for the task as it claims not to have a liver at all.
