The Carp Climbing the Waterfall (For Sale)

Sumie technique (Japanese traditional black ink drawing) 
Size: Framed 61x91cm
Medium: Sumi, Black Ink, on Japanese Paper

Price: $1500
Contact: artlab.colley@gmail.com

The Japanese proverb “Koi no takinobori(鯉の滝登り)”—“The carp climbing the waterfall”—is a symbol of success and achievement.
It originates from a Chinese legend in which a carp that bravely swims upstream through the Yellow River and leaps over the mythical Dragon Gate transforms into a dragon.
In Japan, the carp has come to represent perseverance, ambition, and the hope for a prosperous future. This is why koinobori (carp streamers) are displayed on Children’s Day, expressing a family’s wish for their children to grow strong and overcome life’s challenges—just like the carp that defies the current to reach greatness.
The scales of the carp served as the inspiration for the dragon’s scales.