Flying Fish

The flying fish (tobiuo, family Exocoetidae) — a species capable of gliding above the ocean surface on enlarged pectoral fins — is among the most visually arresting subjects in Japanese natural history printmaking. Ohno Bakufu's depiction would show the fish in lateral profile with fins fully extended, capturing the wing-like pectoral fins that are the anatomical focus of any serious natural history treatment of this species. Whether shown airborne above a suggested wave surface or displayed against a neutral ground as a specimen study, the extended fins present a distinctive compositional form — unlike any standard fish outline. This print likely belongs to or relates to the methodology of his Dai Nihon Gyorui Gashu series, applying the same standards of anatomical observation and multi-block color printing. The fins' translucency would require careful gradation printing to convey membrane texture.