Fish Prints (241)
Fish and aquatic life in Japanese woodblock prints. From Ohno Bakufu's celebrated series of 72 fish prints to Koson's leaping carp, fish symbolize perseverance, abundance, and the bounty of Japan's surrounding seas.
Artists Known for Fish

Oniwakamaru subduing the giant carp
c. 1830/35
Color woodblock print; shikishiban diptych, surimono

Two Carp
19th century
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Fisherman
漁夫
Taishō–early Shōwa period (c. 1920s–1930s)
Color woodblock print

Fish and shells
1821
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono

Kingfisher on Lotus Plant
蓮に翡翠図
ca. 1880-1890
Color woodblock print

The Red Carp
c. 1804/18
Color woodblock print; oban

Cuttle Fish
Early 19th century
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper

Fish, Flower & Kanon

Actual Sketch of A Good Catch in Drag-Net Fishing at Kujukuri Beach in Kazusa Province — 上総九十九里地引網大漁猟正写之図

Table Setting With Fish

Fishing Boat on Reed Covered Bank and Calligraphy
18th to 19th century
Album leaves mounted as hanging scrolls; ink on paper

Fishing Village of Akiya
秋谷の漁村
1905
Watercolour on paper

Forty-Eight Famous Views of Tokyo: Gathering Shellfish at Susaki
東京名所四十八景 洲崎乃汐干
c. 1871
Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

Fishing, from the series "A Set of Ten Beauties in Flowerlike Styles (Enshoku hana fuzoku ju awase)"
c. 1782
Color woodblock print; chuban

Bottle with a goldfish design
c. late 1820s
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono

Red Carp Ascending a Waterfall
late 1820s
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper

Kingfisher, Irises and Wild Pinks
ca. 1834

Fishing Boats at Choshi in Shimosa (Soshu Choshi) from the series "One Thousand Pictures of the Ocean (Chie no umi)"
c. 1833/34
Color woodblock print, chuban Chuban size

Fishing by Torch in Kai Province (Koshu hiburi) from the series "One Thousand Pictures of the Ocean (Chie no umi)"
c. 1833/34
Color woodblock print; chuban

Young Man with Fishing Pole and Net
c. 1769
Color woodblock print; hashira-e

Summer: Fishing in the River
1765-1770

Kingfisher and Chinese Bellflowers
early or mid-1830s
color woodblock print

Fishing Excursion
c. 1799
Color woodblock print; right sheet of aiban triptych

Fishing beneath a Bridge
c. 1800
Color woodblock print; naga-oban

Goldfish, from the series "Elegant Comparison of Little Treasures (Furyu kodakara awase)"
c. 1802
Color woodblock print; oban

Urashima Taro Going Home on the Back of a Tai Fish, the King of the Sea Seeing Him Off
19th century
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper

Gathering Shellfish at Low Tide at Susaki, from Famous Places in Edo
mid-1830s
color woodblock print

Flatfish, scorpion fish, and shells, from an untitled series of chuban prints
c. 1831
Color woodblock print; chuban

Kingfisher above a Yellow-flowered Water Plant
1853, third month
Color woodblock print; aitanzaku

Young Man and Boy Returning from Fishing
c. 1767/68
Color woodblock print; hashira-e

Flying fish and Ichimochi, from an untitled series of fish
c. 1840/42
Color woodblock print; oban, trimmed
![Courtesan Riding a Carp (parody of the Daoist Immortal Kinko [Chinese: Qin Gao]) by Suzuki Harunobu](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/bf16d632-3d70-9de0-48a4-cc40c6f03358/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Courtesan Riding a Carp (parody of the Daoist Immortal Kinko [Chinese: Qin Gao])
c. 1768/69
Color woodblock print; hashira-e

The Fishermen of Katase Hauling in Their Nets: The Purple Shell (Murasakigai)
1821
Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban

Self-Portrait as a Fisherman
1835
Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban

Gold-Fish in a Glass Bottle
19th century
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper

Yellowtail, blowfish, and plum branch
c. 1840/42
Color woodblock print; oban
Grey Mullet (Bora) and Curnelia (Tsubaki), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi)
Late Edo period, 19th century
Woodblock printed "ōban"-sized triptych; ink and color on paper

Silhouette of a Fisherman and a Child
ca. 1881
Color woodblock print

Fish Scow
1928
Etching on cream laid paper
Black Seabream (Kurodai), Small Seabream (Kodai) and Japanese Peppercorns (Sansho), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi)
Late Edo period, 19th century
Ukiyo-e woodblock print in "ōban" format; ink and color on paper

Fishing from a Secluded Cove (No. 3 from Henan Hasshō, Eight Excellent Views of Henan)
河南八勝 第三 釣魚
c. 1830s
Color woodblock print
Goggle-eyed Sea Bream and Bamboo Grass, from an untitled series known as Large Fish
19th century
Woodblock printed "ōban"-sized triptych; ink and color on paper
Lobster (Ise ebi) and Prawn (Ama ebi), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi)
20th century
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Fishing Boats at Tsukudajima (Tsukudajima gyoshū), from the series Thirty-six Views of the Eastern Capital (Tōto sanjūrokkei)
1862 (Bunkyū 2), 6th month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

Carp Ascending Waterfall
19th century
Color woodblock print

Bunpō gafu, fisherman in punt
文鳳画譜
1807
Four-tone woodblock-printed book illustration

Fisherman in a Mist-Enshrouded Landscape
Meiji era, c. late 1890s
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

River Landscape with Fishing Boat and Distant Mountains
山水図
c. 1830s–1840s
Color woodblock print
Gurnard (Kanagashira), Right-Eye Flounder (Konoa-garei) and Bamboo Grass (Sasa), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi)
19th century
Ukiyo-e woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Mountain Landscape with Fishing Village (No. 5 from Henan Hasshō, Eight Excellent Views of Henan)
河南八勝 第五
c. 1830s
Color woodblock print

Mountainous Coastline with Bays and Fishing Boats
山水図
mid-19th century
Color woodblock print

Carp in Waterfall Pattern (Taki ni koi), from the book Illustrated Encyclopedia for Women (Joyo kinmo zui)
女用訓蒙図彙・滝に鯉
1687
Woodblock-printed book; ink on paper
Prawn (Kuruma ebi), Horse Mackerel (Aji), and Smartweed (Tade) from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uozukushi)
Late Edo period, 19th century
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Large-Eye Seabream (Mede tai) and Bamboo Grass (Sasa), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi)
19th century
Ukiyo-e woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Gathering Shellfish at Low Tide at Susaki (Susaki shiohi-gari)
1862
Snapper (Isaki), Scorpionfish (Kasago) and Ginger (Shin shōga), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi)
Late Edo period, 19th century
Ukiyo-e woodblock print in "ōban" format; ink and color on paper

Nakamura Shikan IV as the Fishmonger Aratota
1841
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper; vertical chūban

Summer Mountains Carpeted with Green
ca. 1825
Woodblock print
Flathead (Kochi) and Eggplants (Nasubi), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi)
late 19th century
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

Woodcutters and Fishermen
山樵漁夫図屏風
ca. 1790–95
Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on paper
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Fish and aquatic life in Japanese woodblock prints. From Ohno Bakufu's celebrated series of 72 fish prints to Koson's leaping carp, fish symbolize perseverance, abundance, and the bounty of Japan's surrounding seas.
Ohno Bakufu, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Katsushika Hokusai are among the artists most associated with fish in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 241 prints tagged with fish, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.





