Mebaru

The mebaru (メバル, Sebastes inermis), a rockfish native to Japanese coastal waters and a prized food and sport fish, is depicted in Ohno Bakufu's 'Dai Nihon Gyorui Gashu' series with the specimen accuracy that defines the collection. The fish's large, prominent eyes — the feature from which its Japanese name derives — and the spiny dorsal fin are key anatomical points that Ohno's carvers would render with precision. Mebaru vary in coloration from dark brown to reddish or pale, and Ohno's use of multiple blocks allows for the subtle tonal variation across the body. The lateral line and scale pattern are rendered with fine key-block carving, while bokashi gradations suggest the three-dimensional roundness of the body.