Kakemono
Two Koi in Plunging Water
One of a kind — this work exists only once.
- Signature / Stamp:
- Kanō Sōshū
- Period:
- Edo (1603–1868)
- Dimensions (width x height):
- 28 x 102 cm
- Item number:
- 3301
This piece has been sold.
Sold – no longer available
This piece was handmade by Kanō Sōshū and was a one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.
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Details about the sold piece
- Material HonshiPaper
- TechniqueHand-Painted
Description
With powerful, broad brushstrokes, this painting captures a koi defying the current of a waterfall, while a second fish can already be seen below at the edge of the image, amid the spray of the waves. The ink painting draws its life from dynamism: blurred, broad strokes for the plunging water, clear contours for the scaled armor of the leaping fish.
The koi climbing a waterfall is one of the most popular motifs in Japanese painting and is especially closely associated with the Kano school, which flourished during the Edo period. According to a well-known legend, only one in ten thousand fish manages to climb the waterfall all the way to the top, where it transforms into a dragon.
This transformation story makes the koi a symbol of perseverance, willpower, and social advancement, a motif that remains highly popular throughout Japan to this day. The kakemono is painted on paper and was presumably created during the Edo period.