Bamboo Shoots

Shokusanjin (Ōta Nanpo)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This abbreviated, sketchlike depiction of young bamboo shoots emerging from the earth and the accompanying inscription in cursive script are the work of Shokusanjin (better known as Ōta Nanpo), a poet and author of fiction. Renowned for his kyōka, or comic verses, Shokusanjin often collaborated with artists, contributing his own poetry and calligraphy to their paintings or prints. The auspicious poem here, written when he was seventy-one, may celebrate the large family of a friend. Take no ko no mata take no ko no take no ko no shoots ko no ko no sue mo shigeru medetasa Bamboo shoots and more bamboo shoots, and then shoots of shoots and their offspring too— all thankfully flourishing! —trans. John T. Carpenter

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