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Rainey Knudson

95. Katsushika Hokusai, Untitled

Katsushika Hokusai, Untitled, 1890. Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, approx. 8 × 9.5 inches.

In one story, there is an artist who loves fish, caring for them and painting pictures of them. One day, a giant koi—symbol of good fortune—takes him on an adventure through the great waterways of heaven to visit the Dragon King of the Sea. The artist is given a scroll illustrating the principle of fundamental respect for life, and he returns with this message: protect the lives of all living things. Do not kill fish—or rather, do not kill good fortune through self-defeating ways. The greatest adventure, the great ride, results only from gentleness and open-hearted love.





 

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