Monkey trying to catch a catfish with a gourd, 1912, Tomioka Tessai, Japanese, 1836 - 1924, 14 1/4 ¡Ñ 2 3/8 in. (36.2 ¡Ñ 6.03 cm), Ink and color on silk, Japan, 20th century, The poem reads: Lately there are many more men who have a monkey's guile to stick a catfish into a gourd. It is a reference to the determination and effort it takes to achieve the impossible¡Xlike fitting a huge fish into a tiny gourd bottle.