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](/glossary/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](/glossary/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.