Our 'Koinobori'

The Koinobori tradition was born of a Chinese legend which says that each year, at the third moon in the lunar calendar, during peach blossom season when the Yellow River begins to thaw, the carp would begin their upstream journey from the East China Sea to Longmen, the 'Dragon's Gate'. Here, the Celestial Emperor organised a contest among the carp gathered at the foot of the mighty waterfall, whereby those that succeeded in passing through the gate were transformed into dragons, and those that failed had to return to the sea and try again the following year. Hence the koinobori is associated with bravery, resilience, longevity, joy, and happiness!