The Poets Henjō and Jichin, from Stylus-Illustrated Competition of Poets of Different Periods (Mokuhitsu jidai fudō uta awase-e)

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A popular pastime among courtiers of ancient Japan was the poetry contest, or uta-awase, which were often recorded for posterity. During the early medieval period, handscrolls illustrating imaginary competitions among various authors, not all of whom had lived at the same time (as seen here), were also created. In this handscroll section, both competitors are Buddhist monks, each represented by three waka (31-syllable court poems). The figures were drawn with a mokuhitsu, a flat wood “stylus” that makes fine, parallel lines with one stroke. The poems are inscribed above in an unusual style that combines orthodox kana (phonetic writing) with man’yōgana, the first Japanese writing system, in which Chinese characters were used to represent Japanese sounds. The poems thus visually resemble Chinese texts rather than the flowing forms usually expected for waka.

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