Title: 遡る鮎 (Ayu Swimming Upstream). Ed.17/100.
Artist: Koichi Sakamoto (1932-Present).
Medium: Etching & Aquatint.
Signed: Signed, titled, & editioned in pencil to plate. Circa late 1970’s-1980’s.
Size: Paper: H: 37.00cm x W: 51.25cm. (Image: H: 25.75cm x W: 36.00cm).
Condition: A beautiful piece in wonderful condition. Well stored over the years. Unblemished, paper clean & crisp. Please contact for any further questions/photos/& condition report.
Notes: A striking print by Koichi Sakamoto: 遡る鮎 (Ayu Swimming Upstream). Two ayu fish move against the current, their pale markings catching the light as shadows ripple beneath them. A seasonal delicacy and a marker of Japan’s pristine rivers, the 鮎 (ayu, sweetfish) is known for its brief one-year lifespan and distinctive melon-like scent. Sakamoto captures their quiet determination, a scene rooted in nature’s rhythms. The layered tones of black and blue evoke the cool depths of a fast-moving stream, while the fish appear almost weightless, suspended in motion. In Japan, ayu are often associated with perseverance, as they swim tirelessly upstream to spawn before the cycle begins anew. (Koichi Sakamoto seal embossed to paper).
Title: 遡る鮎 (Ayu Swimming Upstream). Ed.17/100.
Artist: Koichi Sakamoto (1932-Present).
Medium: Etching & Aquatint.
Signed: Signed, titled, & editioned in pencil to plate. Circa late 1970’s-1980’s.
Size: Paper: H: 37.00cm x W: 51.25cm. (Image: H: 25.75cm x W: 36.00cm).
Condition: A beautiful piece in wonderful condition. Well stored over the years. Unblemished, paper clean & crisp. Please contact for any further questions/photos/& condition report.
Notes: A striking print by Koichi Sakamoto: 遡る鮎 (Ayu Swimming Upstream). Two ayu fish move against the current, their pale markings catching the light as shadows ripple beneath them. A seasonal delicacy and a marker of Japan’s pristine rivers, the 鮎 (ayu, sweetfish) is known for its brief one-year lifespan and distinctive melon-like scent. Sakamoto captures their quiet determination, a scene rooted in nature’s rhythms. The layered tones of black and blue evoke the cool depths of a fast-moving stream, while the fish appear almost weightless, suspended in motion. In Japan, ayu are often associated with perseverance, as they swim tirelessly upstream to spawn before the cycle begins anew. (Koichi Sakamoto seal embossed to paper).
