The Rising Koi (Japanese carp)

A study of a single koi rising through water, drawing on the East Asian legend of the carp that ascends the falls at the Dragon Gate (Chinese: Longmen; Japanese: Tōryūmon) and is transformed into a dragon — a parable of perseverance and male advancement that anchors the carp banners (koinobori) flown for Tango no Sekku on the fifth day of the fifth month. Gekko renders the fish in a vertical orientation that emphasizes upward movement, with the body torquing against the current and scales articulated through a fine keyblock impression overlaid with graded color. Bokashi is used in the surrounding water to indicate depth and motion without descriptive detail. Carp subjects sit within Gekko's substantial body of nature studies, which run parallel to his historical and bijin-ga work; like many of his single-figure animal prints, the design draws on Kanō- and Maruyama-school painting conventions Gekko absorbed through self-directed copying rather than formal apprenticeship.