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Hope that the carp will also be lucky for those who stay in this room
The 15th room, “Carp”, was the motif chosen by the Japanese artist Yoko Naito who began it on 25th March 2015, and completed it on 17th April 2015.
Artist Ms. Naito says she felt “the majestic swimming figure of the carp embodies the universal wish for improvement, progress, and prosperity”. From ancient times, the “carp” was regarded as an auspicious fish, and was vividly painted using various raw materials and techniques, such as collage with oil paints, acrylic paints, sumi (Japanese ink), and Japanese paper. At the entrance to the room and beside the window, he painted bengala (red iron oxide pigment), a traditional material used for shrines and Buddhist temples, so that overseas visitors can feel “Japan”.
Next to the bed, there is the main mural, that of a boy who rides and plays on the back of a carp. Beyond, through the craggy rocks, a carp is trying to swim up a waterfall. The “carp” is a lucky symbol for people who wish the growth of their children and themselves. The artist hopes that the carp will also be lucky for those who stay in this room.
We invite you to relax with the wall paintings in the “Artist Room Carp”.
Staff recommendation comment
In comparison to other rooms, the Artist Room Queen Carp is often chosen among those who want to experience a calm Japanese atmosphere. But do you know why the main character for this room is carp? The meaning of Carp is deeper than it seems. The fish called carp is familiar to Japanese people. On Children’s Day, known as Tango-no Sekku in Japan, there is an ancient custom of raising up carp-shaped streamers high in the sky, wishing for the healthy growth of children. Carps are symbols of growth both mentally and physically, empowering people to become as powerful and big as dragons. This custom derives from a Chinese legend that carps jump up a waterfall and grow into dragons. Therefore, carp is considered to be a lucky fish that brings improvement, progress, and prosperity. This is one of the reasons why carps are common inhabitants of ponds in Japanese gardens, and among them, large golden carp can be seen. By staying in Artist Room Queen Carp among carps, you may be visited by a big fortune. And if you are able to find the koi in the last picture somewhere in the room, happiness will come to you!
Room #3126 | Completion Date: April 2015
In Japan, the “carp” has been revered since ancient times as a lucky fish. This seems to come from the Chinese story where “a carp swam up a waterfall to become a dragon”. The “carp” has been adored for a wide variety of reasons, from the Boys’ Festival where it symbolizes the healthy growth of children, to “success in life”, such as wild designs on tattoos and “decoration trucks”. I felt that the majestic way it swims expressed the universal desire for improvement, progress and prosperity.
The “carp” is a lucky item for all who desire the health of their children, and themselves.I hope you will feel at home in this room with this auspicious decor.
Yoko Naito
Yoko Naito was born in 1985, in Chigasaki city, Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan.
Having left high school before graduation, Naito became an autodidact and started painting with a variety of techniques from oil painting, Nihonga [Japanese painting], ink drawing to woodblock printmaking. She also has closely collaborated with experimental musicians such as sound-improviser/ composer Tetuzi Akiyama, occasionally producing “Enha [circle wave]” multiples with her artwork dedicated to collaborators’ sound/music and organizing performance event “Nami no Kai [wave gathering].” Naito’s work always reflects her interest in harmony and androgyny inherent to the human being as well as in an ancient Zen belief in mind-body unity.
The artist holds private exhibitions at Tokyo galleries such as Hagurodo, T-BOX, and also exhibits widely in group projects, and at many national and international art fairs.
