In Black Rain, carp spawning is a frequent distraction from the main story line.

Since carp, like salmon, can swim upstream against currents, they have become symbols of stamina and courage.

The Hiroshima Carp are one of the baseball teams in Japan's Central League.

You can see carp banners vigorously "swimming" in the spring breeze during the weeks around May 5. The top banner is multicolored, followed by a black carp symbolizing the father, a red carp for mom, and then other colors -- usually blue for each of the boys (and sometimes girls).

Carp blood is thought by the villagers to help fight radiation sickness.