In the late 1500s in China’s Ming Dynasty, one of the world’s most epic sagas was published: _Journey to the West_. Attributed to Wu Cheng’en, it incorporated folk tales and myths with an historical account of a Chinese monk seeking Buddhist texts and wisdom. Along the way, the monk is aided by protectors, of whom the most famous was Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. That’s the figure you see pictured here, from an 1824 woodblock print by Japanese artist Yashima Gakutei. The piece is a fitting testimony to the widespread range (both geographically and in timespan) of the epic novel and its most beloved character.
_Journey to the West_ falls into categories like the _Odyssey_, the_Ramayana_, or _Gilgamesh_: people from outside of China knew and loved the story. Sun Wukong was an especially beloved character, as an impulsive warrior who could jump 108,000 li, or 3,3554 miles, in one bound. He lived forever (due to his stealing some pills of immortality while drunk) and held a staff that could shrink small and fit behind his ear but could grow until it weighed 17,550 pounds. He could also change himself into different shapes and had firey gold eyes that could see far into the distance, and could take hairs from his body and change them into whatever he wanted — what’s not to like about the Monkey King? Turns out, Sun Wukong was brash: he got into lots of fights until finally the Buddha trapped him under a mountain, when eventually after 500 years, the monk who was seeking Buddhist wisdom took him on as a disciple.
Centuries later, Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama carried on the legacy of _Journey to the West_ and the Monkey King through his hit manga series _Dragonball_ and _Dragonball Z_. Sun Wukong is called Sun Goku in the martial arts supernatural series, where the Monkey King fights using a “Short Fist” style made well known by the likes of Bruce Lee. _Dragonball_, like _Journey to the West_, grew popular across time and space, becoming among the most famous manga series of all time. Its creator, Akira Toriyama, passed away unexpectedly earlier in March this year of 2024. Toriyama was mourned around the world.
