The Moon-Mad Monk, or Crazy Gazing at the Moon (Kyōgetsubō 狂月坊)

Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This book compiles seventy-two kyōka poems on the theme of the moon, along with five illustrations. Shown here is the moon viewed from the shores of the bay at Akashi, a famous ancient place that evoked the god of waka poetry, Hitomaro, and such works of courtly literature as the Tales of Ise and the Tale of Genji. The handsome pine tree at the front reveals the hand of Utamaro, an artist well trained in the style of the Kano school.

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