This vintage shikishi PRINT features 《鯉山》, an artwork by the distinguished Japanese painter Kaneshima Keika 金島桂華 (1881–1965), celebrated for his refined Nihonga technique and mastery of decorative compositions. The subject of the work is the famed “Koi-yama” (鯉山)—one of the festival floats of the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto, renowned for its distinctive carp motif and rich symbolism of perseverance and transformation.
At the center of the composition, a boldly rendered carp rises from stylized waves, its scales highlighted with gold accents that convey both dynamism and auspicious brilliance. The carp, painted with a sense of movement and vitality, symbolizes strength, endurance, and the aspiration to rise, echoing the legend of a carp leaping the Dragon Gate and transforming into a dragon.
The float’s decorative framework, shown with vibrant red torii-like beams, ornate gold fittings, and crisp white shide (紙垂), evokes the sacred atmosphere of Kyoto’s centuries-old festival culture. Behind it stands a stately evergreen pine, painted in delicate Nihonga-style textures. The pine, an emblem of longevity and unwavering spirit, enhances the auspicious feeling of the piece.
