Perhaps because he wanted to paint a piece that would reflect the town of Kushimoto, Rosetsu chose to depict nature in this room. But compared to the tiger painting, this one has quite a different feeling, and it has a detailed touch that’s similar to Ōkyo’s Sennin painting.
Let’s start by looking at the right side of the room. There is a fish, a cat, a rock, a rose, a chicken, and more. Focus on the rock. It is intentionally drawn on the edge of the fusuma, just at the point where it intersects with another fusuma. This gives it a three-dimensional feeling, which is a technique Rosetsu inherited from Ōkyo.
On the left edge, there is a mysteriously shaped stamp. This is known as Rosetsu’s “frozen stamp”, which he used to sign the name of “Sakana”, or “Fish”. Why?
According to one anecdote, it’s a symbol for Rosetsu’s freedom. During a cold winter, Rosetsu was walking along a small river with a frozen surface. When he looked closely, he saw fish trapped underneath the ice. A little while later, when he returned along the same path, the water had melted, and the fish were swimming around in the river freely. At that time, Rosetsu realize, “I am trapped by Ōkyo’s style and cannot paint as freely as I’d like, just like those fish were trapped in the ice. One day, when the ice has melted, I’d like to break free and swim where I like, to paint as I like.” All of those feelings are packed into this tiny stamp. So we assume, anyway.
On the right side of the fusuma, there is a fish, and a cat who is trying to catch it. If the fish is Rosetsu, what is the cat? Perhaps it is a metaphor for Ōkyo’s existence. Rosetsu, or the fish, is being watched carefully by his master Ōkyo, the cat, and therefore cannot move as he likes. At least, that is what some say.
Others disagree. Instead, they believe that perhaps Rosetsu’s fish symbolizes boldness, rather than captivity. “Come and get me,” they believe it says. After all, this is the same Rosetsu who painted the bold, magnanimous tiger.
There are many theories about Rosetsu’s fish, but you can also decide for yourself what it means.
Rosetsu painted the fusuma here at Muryōji when he was 33 years old, and from then on, he signed his paintings as “the fish trapped in ice.” However, years later, after his thirties were over, he started to sign his works with a stamp that was missing its top-right corner. In other words, the ice had melted, but what does that mean? Most likely that he’d separated from Ōkyo’s style and was painting freely on his own. The paintings in the next room are so different that many believe that Rosetsu had a revelation at Muryōji. It’s possible that he painted that tiger just as the ice was beginning to melt.