In Edo- and Meiji-period Japan, goldfish were a summer institution: vendors carried them through the streets in wooden tubs, and keeping kingyo in a glass bowl was a small, affordable pleasure tied to good fortune. “Two Veil Goldfish” by Ohara Koson (1877–1945) takes up that well-loved subject — two veiltail goldfish drifting among water plants, their fins trailing like silk. The print belongs to kachō-e, the bird-and-flower genre Koson practised within the shin-hanga movement.
Few subjects test a woodblock printer like water. Koson’s design was cut into a separate block for each colour and printed by hand in layers; gradated inking lends the water its depth, while the carved line follows every fold of the trailing fins. The restraint of the background keeps the two swimmers weightless.
The print’s cool, light palette, touched with soft red, suits rooms where calm matters: a bathroom, a bedroom, a quiet corner by a window. In a japandi or Scandinavian interior i . . . Read More >>
In Edo- and Meiji-period Japan, goldfish were a summer institution: vendors carried them through the streets in wooden tubs, and keeping kingyo in a glass bowl was a small, affordable pleasure tied to good fortune. “Two Veil Goldfish” by Ohara Koson (1877–1945) takes up that well-loved subject — two veiltail goldfish drifting among water plants, their fins trailing like silk. The print belongs to kachō-e, the bird-and-flower genre Koson practised within the shin-hanga movement.
Few subjects test a woodblock printer like water. Koson’s design was cut into a separate block for each colour and printed by hand in layers; gradated inking lends the water its depth, while the carved line follows every fold of the trailing fins. The restraint of the background keeps the two swimmers weightless.
The print’s cool, light palette, touched with soft red, suits rooms where calm matters: a bathroom, a bedroom, a quiet corner by a window. In a japandi or Scandinavian interior it behaves like a small pool of stillness — pale wood and white walls give its drifting figures room to breathe.
The work is available as an art print on thick matte paper, as a framed print behind shatter-resistant acrylic glazing, or on satin-coated cotton canvas.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of goldfish are shown?
Veiltail goldfish — a fancy variety bred for long, flowing fins, kept and admired in Japan since the Edo period.
What do goldfish mean in Japanese culture?
Kingyo are tied to good fortune and the ease of summer; keeping them was a beloved pastime of Edo- and Meiji-era Japan.
How was the original made?
As a colour woodblock print: a separate hand-carved block for each colour, printed in layers, with gradated inking for the water’s depth.
Which rooms suit this print?
A bathroom, a bedroom, or a quiet corner by a window — anywhere its cool, light palette can act as a small pool of stillness.
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Japan historical period: Showa 昭和 (1926-1989)
Check out other artwork of Ohara Koson
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#Japanese Art
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#Kacho-E
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#Nature
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#Pink
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#Pink Fish
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#Pond
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#Red
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#Shin-Hanga
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#Traditional Japanese Painting
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#Water
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#Water Plants
