魚屋北渓 金太郎と鯉 すりもの錦絵 江戸時代

Physically powerful individuals are held in high esteem in many cultures, and Japan is no exception. In particular, there are numerous historical tales about boys with superhuman strength—among them Kintarō, shown here wrestling a huge, flailing koi, or carp. The surimono demonstrates amazing detail, especially in the intensity in the boy’s eyes and the silver-pigmented cascades of water. According to a Chinese legend that was well known in Japan, any carp able to climb the rapids at Longmen, in the Yellow River, would transform into a dragon. In Chinese society, this story about the achievement of success was understood to allude to one’s passing of the highest civil-service examination. Here, however, the accompanying “crazy poem” (kyōka) relays a more down-to-earth message: a wild-leaping carp will make great soup.