Carp Banner, Toyohama, Kagawa Prefecture
Artist
Kawase Hasui
(Japanese, 1883 - 1957)
Publisher
Shozaburo Watanabe
(Japanese, 1885 - 1962)
CultureJapanese
Date1948
MediumColor woodblock print on laid paper
DimensionsOverall, Image: 14 3/8 x 9 9/16 in. (36.5 x 24.3 cm)
Overall: 15 5/8 x 10 1/2 in. (39.7 x 26.7 cm)
Overall: 15 5/8 x 10 1/2 in. (39.7 x 26.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Momotaro Yanagida, Mayor of Moji, Japan, sister city of Norfolk
Object number61.72.17
On View
Not on viewLabel TextKawase Hasui Japanese, 1883–1957 Carp Banner, Toyohama, Kagawa Prefecture, 1948 Color woodblock print on laid paper A fish-shaped windsock flies over a village on Shikoku Island. This koinobori, or carp banner, is hung for the holiday Kodomo-no-hi, or Children’s Day, celebrated on May 5. The koi fish symbolizes courage and strength because of its ability to swim upstream, and such banners originated as battle flags carried by samurai warriors. Today they express hope that a family’s children, particularly its sons, will grow into brave and healthy adults. The Japanese government made Kodomo-no-hi a national holiday in 1948, the same year that Kawase Hasui created this print. Gift of Momotarō Yanagida, Mayor of Moji, Japan, sister city of Norfolk 61.72.17 Catalogue raisonnéHote: cat. no. 508 Narazaki: cat. no. 489Exhibition History"Gifts from Japan: Landscape Woodblocks in the Shin-Hanga Style," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, March 24 - July 26, 2015.
