Dish decorated with carp in waves

This decorative dish is adorned in underglaze painting in cobalt blue and overglaze enamels and gold. The carp is a characteristic symbol of resilience and strength in Japanese iconography based especially on the legend of the carp from the Yellow River. They are believed to have persisted in trying to swim upstream to scale a high local waterfall, which the Yellow River demons perfidiously made even higher. After a hundred years of vain attempts, a single carp succeeded and, as a reward, was transformed into a golden dragon. The carp is also a symbol of prosperity and serves as a congratulatory motif.