Su Shi (Dongpo) in a Bamboo Hat and Clogs

Zuigan Ryūsei

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A lone figure wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sandals trudges through a murky landscape. Above, five prominent Japanese Zen monks from the monasteries in Kyoto have brushed poems in Chinese, celebrating China’s most famous literatus, Su Shi (1037–1101), here called by his sobriquet “Dongpo.” Su Shi and his writings were beloved in medieval Japan. The event recalled in the quickly brushed image and poems occurred when the aged scholar was in exile on the remote southern island of Hainan. Caught in a sudden downpour, he borrowed a peasant’s straw hat and clogs and continued on his way, while the villagers laughed at his outlandish appearance. The opening poem by Zuigan Ryūsei sets the scene.

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