Ono no Tofu Standing on the Bank of a Stream and Watching a Frog Leap to Catch a Willow Branch

Ono no Tofu Standing on the Bank of a Stream and Watching a Frog Leap to Catch a Willow Branch

Totoya Hokkei

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Classical subjects, from both literature and history, often attracted the surimono artists. Strolling by a stream, Ono no Tofu (894–964), a court calligrapher, dejectedly thinks about resigning from the court. He stops to watch a determined frog attempt a high upward leap onto a willow branch. After countless futile efforts, the frog finally succeeds. Inspired by its perseverance, Ono no Tofu decides to stay on.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ono no Tofu Standing on the Bank of a Stream and Watching a Frog Leap to Catch a Willow BranchOno no Tofu Standing on the Bank of a Stream and Watching a Frog Leap to Catch a Willow BranchOno no Tofu Standing on the Bank of a Stream and Watching a Frog Leap to Catch a Willow BranchOno no Tofu Standing on the Bank of a Stream and Watching a Frog Leap to Catch a Willow BranchOno no Tofu Standing on the Bank of a Stream and Watching a Frog Leap to Catch a Willow Branch

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.