92. Monkey-music moon (Sarugaku no tsuki)

Sarugaku (literally Monkey-music) involved acrobatics, juggling, and mime, combined with drum dancing. It is considered to have been one of the sources from which the Noh theatre developed. The people passing behind a rather stern and aloof looking samurai rush to find seats for the New Year Sarugaku performance on the grounds of Edo Castle. The samurai may be the envoy that was yearly sent by the emperor in Kyoto, as the on stage screen shows a red-crowned crane and the rising sun, both symbols of the imperial family. (published April 1892)