Koi Ascending the Waterfall
Sold – no longer available
This piece was handmade by Rinsai 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
- Height 179 cm
- Width 41 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Bone
- Material Honshi Silk
- Period of Creation Meiji (1868–1912)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
- Wooden Box Yes
No longer available
Description
A koi, its eyes wide open, breaks through the water's surface and surges upward against the current of a waterfall – a motif that has long stood in Japan for endurance, courage, and the will to overcome obstacles, similar to the legend of the carp that transforms into a dragon at the "Dragon Gate." The powerful ink drawing reduces the scene to its essentials: the compact, almost monumental body of the fish, the raised fins, and the foaming spray at its feet, while the golden-brown tone of the silk ground lends the image a warm, subdued atmosphere.
The painting bears the signature and seal of the painter Rinsai and was created during the Meiji period, an era in which classical ink painting and new artistic influences from the West coexisted. The scroll mounting concludes with jikusaki ends made of bone, a high-quality finish that lends the work additional weight.
The kakemono is delivered with a signed wooden box (tomobako) documenting the provenance and esteem of the piece. As a wall hanging in the tokonoma or as an unusual accent in a modern room, this powerful motif unfolds its quiet, symbolic effect.
