Japanese Transparent Umbrella 'Koi'

The translucent umbrella over a painted koi pond

This umbrella glows like a window onto water. On a translucent paper canopy, broad green lotus leaves spread across the top, pink lotus flowers open among them, and below, a whole school of koi carp — orange, white and dark — glides through the painted pond. The thin, light-passing paper makes the whole scene luminous.

The painting is richly detailed in the nihonga manner: the lotus leaves shade from deep to bright green, the blooms layer soft pinks, and the koi swim in lifelike pose and color, scales catching the light. Because the paper is translucent, holding it up makes the pond seem lit from behind, almost like stained glass. The carp seem to move beneath the lotus, giving the still pond a sense of quiet life.

It's a traditional wagasa, with a paper canopy stretched over slender bamboo ribs spreading from a red-painted center hub. Held overhead, the translucent pond scene glows vividly through the paper, the bamboo spokes radiating across the lotus and the swimming carp.

Lotus for purity and koi for perseverance give the design a quietly auspicious meaning, while the luminous paper makes it especially striking in photographs. As a decorative and ceremonial parasol, it suits display, traditional dress and photo work rather than rain.

Built on a bamboo handle with an 80 cm canopy and a light 250 g body, it's crafted traditionally with an eco-minded approach. A luminous koi-pond parasol for anyone who wants a canopy that glows with the light.

Held up to the light, the translucent paper makes the pond seem lit from behind, the lotus and koi glowing almost like stained glass, which photographs strikingly. Kept out of the rain and handled with care, the parasol holds its luminous, glowing beauty for season after season of admiring display.

• Traditional craftsmanship
• Bamboo handle
• 80 cm diameter
• Lightweight: 250 g
• Eco-friendly design