Red Dragonfly (Akatonbo); Locust (Inago), from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami)

Kitagawa Utamaro

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ehon mushi erami (Picture Book of Crawling Creatures) is illustrated with fifteen designs of insects and other garden creatures by Utamaro. Published by Tsutaya Jūzaburō , the poems were selected and introduced by a preface written by the poet and scholar Yadoya no Meshimori (Rokujuen; 1753–1830), who later became head of the influential Go-gawa poetry group. Several of the top kyōka poets of the day were invited to contribute.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art