Ryu Shoten: Ascending Dragon over Fuji, Japan Flask

The sun peeked over the horizon, casting an angry red glow across the sky. Smoke billowed from the peak of Mount Fuji, swirling and churning like a pot of boiling water. A young boy named Kenji watched in awe from his village nestled at the foot of the mountain. He had heard stories of dragons that lived on Mount Fuji, but he had never believed them. --- Suddenly, a tremendous roar echoed through the valley. Kenji looked up in time to see a magnificent dragon burst from the smoke. Its scales shimmered like sapphires in the sunlight, and its body was as long as a winding road. The dragon soared through the sky, its powerful wings beating the air. --- Kenji was speechless. He had never seen anything so beautiful and terrifying at the same time. The dragon circled Mount Fuji a few times, then let out another roar before disappearing back into the smoke. --- Kenji ran back to the village and told everyone what he had seen. No one believed him at first, but when the other villagers saw the smoke rising from Mount Fuji, they knew that something strange was happening. --- The next day, the smoke cleared, and the villagers saw that the dragon had left a gift on the peak of Mount Fuji. It was a giant, glowing pearl that pulsed with an inner light. The villagers called it the Dragon's Pearl, and they believed that it brought good luck to their village. --- Kenji never forgot the day he saw the dragon. He grew up to be a wise and respected elder, and he often told stories of the dragon to the younger generation. The story of the dragon became a legend, a reminder of the magic and wonder that existed in the world. --- The series Gekko Zuihitsu is a major series among the art prints designed by Gekko Ogata 1859-1920.