Kakemono Two Carp Among Reeds

Power and lightness lie close together in this picture. A large carp shoots almost vertically upwards, mouth open, pectoral fins spread wide, while further down a second fish reveals only its head and back among reeds and water plants.

The picture is signed and sealed with the name of Mori Getsujō, a Kyōto Nihonga painter from the school of Takeuchi Seihō; the lid inscription on the wooden box also names him and describes the subject as a carp picture. The fish are painted in softly graded greys, with scales and fins merely suggested, complemented by a few blue and green glazes for the water.

In Japan the rising carp stands for perseverance and the will to work one's way up – a motif for the study or a gift for a new beginning. The scroll on paper dates from the Shōwa period and is mounted in light green brocade with a reddish-brown floral strip; the jikusaki are made of plastic.