Gift Cover (Fukusa) with Carp in Waves (1868–1912): Art, History and Details

Gift Cover (Fukusa) with Carp in Waves (1868–1912) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The motif of carp in rough water originated in China. The expression “carp jumping over the Dragon Gate” (liyu tiao longmen) refers to attaining success in life, or, historically, to passing the imperial examinations for civil service. Dragon Gate is a steep gorge of the Yellow River at Hejing in Shanxi province, and it was once said that if a carp swimming upstream could surmount the gorge, it would instantly transform into a dragon and fly into the sky. In Japan, therefore, a gift cover (fukusa) like this would have been appropriate to celebrate the recipient’s achievements.

Object facts

• Title: Gift Cover (Fukusa) with Carp in Waves
• Date: 1868–1912
• Culture: Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
• Type: Embroidery
• Technique: Silk: embroidered; metallic thread
• Dimensions: Overall: 87.3 x 71.8 cm (34 3/8 x 28 1/4 in.)
• Collection: Textiles
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1916.1324

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.