US-based photographer Hiroshi Watanabe’s exhibit ‘Suo Samurawashi’ features monkeys dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos and normal clothing.
Shot in black and white, the subjects in his images possess a regal elegance whether wielding a pole or gazing into the distance, and make for a fascinating and strangely tender viewing.
Samurawashi literally means “monkey dancing” and refers to the ancient street performance involving clothed Japanese macaques acting out skits.
It decreased in popularity in the 1970s due to rapid urbanization, and Watanabe probably wanted to reflect its demise through these photographs.
[via The Fox Is Black, images via Hiroshi Watanabe]