The Battle of Yashima, from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)

Tosa School

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Social upheaval and rivalries among military clans were hallmarks of the late Heian period (794–1185). A decades-long conflict between the Taira and Minamoto families over imperial dominance culminated in the Genpei War, a struggle recounted in The Tale of the Heike, compiled before 1330. At the naval Battle of Yashima in 1185, Minamoto warriors routed the Taira from their encampment by the Inland Sea. On the screen at right the young and unproven Minamoto archer Nasu no Yoichi rides his horse into the sea to shoot a distant battle fan bobbing in the prow of a Taira woman’s boat. Enmity gives way to admiration as both sides hail his remarkable achievement.

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