"BOY'S DAY"

This print depicts the traditional Tango no Sekku (Boy's Day, now Children's Day) celebration observed on the fifth day of the fifth month, most likely featuring koinobori — cylindrical carp streamers suspended on bamboo poles above a household or garden setting. Carp streamers are a fixture of Kyoto residential neighborhoods in late spring, and Kotozuka would have observed them throughout his career. The composition likely employs diagonal lines of the rigging against a pale sky, with the streamers rendered in flat color planes and [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations along the horizon. The subject places the print within Kotozuka's broader interest in seasonal and festive Kyoto life, connecting domestic ritual to the natural rhythms of the calendar. Printed on [washi](/glossary/washi) with carefully registered key blocks, the image balances decorative clarity with atmospheric depth.