Monkeys Playing amongst Rocks and Trees

The seals reading “Shikibu” used to be pronounced as “Ryukyo” and used to be identified with those of the artists Shokei or Chuan Shinko, although that was not correct. The personal history of this artist is not clear. Only an approximate period of his activity can be assumed from the year of Priest Joan Ryusu's death (1536), who was the 262nd priest of Kennin-ji Temple. The priest wrote an inscription on Shikibu's other extant painting, “Eight Views of Mt. Fuji”. Complicated strokes depicting the creases of the rocks indicate that the artist belonged to the Kamakura School, which followed the painting style of Shokei, while the strict composition of the scene shows the influence from the Kano school. Personified facial expressions of the monkeys are cute.

— Museum description: Kyoto National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.