In this painting, there are two “nishikigoi” (colored carp), swimming leisurely and gracefully among Japanese straight growing irises. Shukou Okamoto expresses the feeling of distance effectively by depicting Japanese irises on the upper and lower parts of the screen. We can feel as if we could, by chance, catch a glimpse of the relaxed nishikigoi through a break in the flowers. The beauty of the nishikigoi, which are sometimes referred to as “swimming jewels,” is expressed through his delicate brushwork. Many nishikigoi are friendly with people. Shukou Okamoto expresses this charm through the eyes of the nishikigoi in this painting. The depiction of the wooden bridge in the lake is a very important element that makes us imagine that the nishikigoi have swum toward it. Shukou Okamoto depicts the bridge carefully with the technique of “tarashikomi.” This is an impressive work in which we can appreciate proof of his outstanding talent here and there.

tarashikomi
A high level technique of Japanese-style painting for attaining a natural blur by making use of the difference in the specific gravity between pigments.