Catfish

Catfish
after Utagawa Kuniyoshi

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Catfish has a special place in Japanese mythology. It is a large catfish that causes earthquakes in Japan, usually controlled by Kashima, god of thunder and suppressed by large rock. On the other hand, when corruption takes over it´s a catfish that, with a shake of its tail, causes the rich and the wealthy to drop their coins. The roots of this myth are in a belief that catfish can predict earthquakes. The views with depiction of this myth are called namazu-e, catfish images.

But this specific image is not such a view. It shows realistic and beautiful depiction of underwater world, with sunlight bursting through the surface; we observe catfish diving into the deep water with a few trout in the background. Hanging such a view offered protection from earthquakes and it was good omen in general.

Technique: acrylic on canvas

Size: 177 x 120 cm (69.68 x 47.24 inch)

Year: May 2011

Availability: In Private Collection

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