Carp

The right composition shows a carp swimming underwater, while on the left is a jumping carp that creates a splash of water behind it. Perhaps the fish on the right is trying to dive deeper, its left fin moving backward as its right fin moves forward. On the left side, both of the carp’s fins point forward like wings, and looks as if it is trying to jump as high as possible. The depiction of long whiskers across the mouth is characteristic of the Nagasaki-ha, a group of painters active in Nagasaki, so we can understand that Jakuchu took inspiration from them for this painting. However, the heads of the fish are done in dark ink, and the scales behind the gills are painted with the sujime-gaki technique in a way that only Jakuchū could have achieved.