KÔNO BAIREI (1844–1895), Large kakejiku in ink and pastel colours on silk, depicting various fish in the current, amongst aquatic plants. Red seal in the lower left-hand corner, Shijun, one of Bairei’s many artist names. Inscriptions on the scroll: Kaigyo no Zu, ‘Illustration of Ocean Fish’. (Damage from mounting). Japan, late 19th century. A LARGE KAKEJIKU, INK AND COLOURS ON SILK, FISHES BY KÔNO BAIREI, JAPAN, LATE 19TH CENTURY. DIM. 152 X 84 CM (59 13/16 X 33 1/16 IN.) About the artist: Kôno Bairei, a Nanga painter, was born and lived in Kyoto, studying notably under Raishô (Maruyama school) and later under Bunrin (a Shijô painter). He is best known for his landscapes and his illustrations for kacho-ga (birds and flowers) books, but also for his teaching; in 1880, he founded an art school in Kyoto (the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting). The theme of fish in a stream is rather rare in Bairei’s work. However, we can cite two paintings with very similar themes and styles: firstly, in the ‘Japanese and Korean Art’ sale at Christie’s New York on 24 March 2026, lot 37; and secondly, on the website of the dealer Richard Kruml, japaneseprints-london.com. His works are represented in numerous museums in Japan and a few Western museums.