Monk Shun'e c. late 17th century

Curator: So, we have here "Monk Shun'e," a print created around the late 17th century by Hishikawa Moronobu, a significant figure in ukiyo-e. Editor: It’s almost ghostly, isn't it? The sparseness of the ink on paper and simple line work…makes it feel very Zen, spare, economical. What’s Monk Shun'e doing? Curator: We see Shun’e meeting with a senior monk, the latter dressed in highly ornamented robes while clutching a prayer fan. Up above are text excerpts from the tale, with a little dream bubble of Shun’e’s house. The sharp lines used on those ornate robes would be painstakingly cut in the woodblock and suggest affluence. Editor: So the means of production underscore social status! Look how precise those lines are to represent each detail; there must be countless hours that go into that level of craftsmanship, right? And compared with the younger monk, he's only suggested, a little, quick sketch almost. The power dynamic is visible through how each figure is rendered. Curator: Absolutely. And beyond just labor, notice how this one sheet of paper implicates such hierarchies within Edo society. The commodification of spirituality through ukiyo-e brought enlightenment, or perhaps merely aspirational ideas, to the masses. I see an incredible dynamism—a whole narrative squeezed into one composition! It captures something universal about seeking guidance and purpose, even today. Editor: True—and perhaps points at something universally flawed as well. After all, this very print could have been, at its root, about flaunting the accouterments and customs of status. Even spiritual ones. The material becomes the message. Curator: Yes, the eternal dance between image and meaning, craft and artifice! So much packed into deceptively simple lines.