Crabs Near the Water's Edge

Yashima Gakutei

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

As the poem at the left is by the leader of the Katsushika poetry group, Bunbunsha Kanikomaru (Little Crab), it is not surprising that the subject of this surimono is the tiny benkei crab, drawn, as customary, to appear somewhat comical. The second poem, on the right, is by the important actor and figure in Edo, Ichikawa Danjuro VII, signed Sansho the seventh, his pen name.

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