Kakemono Ascending Carp

With powerful momentum, a large blackish-gray carp breaks from the water, its body stretched diagonally across the picture plane, its head directed upward. The individually rendered scales are worked out with remarkable care, the bright yellow eye setting a vivid accent within the fish's dark head. In the lower part of the picture, delicate blue wave motifs suggest the water's surface from which the creature bursts forth – a depiction full of dynamism and energy.

The ascending carp is among the most meaningful motifs in East Asian painting. It is regarded as a symbol of endurance, strength, and the will to overcome obstacles – a symbolism that remains alive in Japanese cultural life to this day. The effect of the painting draws on a deliberate contrast: the dark, plastically rendered creature set against the wide, light background.

The painting bears the signature and seal of Shida Kansui and was created in the Showa period. Painted on silk and mounted in a subdued framing with a light blue brocade stripe, this hand-painted unique work is an impressive example of traditional Japanese animal painting.