Poem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry Blossoms

Poem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry Blossoms

Ogata Sōken

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ogata Sōken headed a wealthy Kyoto merchant family that specialized in textiles, had close ties to the palace, and helped revive traditional Japanese arts in early eighteenth-century Kyoto. His crisp, elegant, and dynamic calligraphy shows indebtedness to the style of Hon’ami Kōetsu, who had revolutionized the art of brush writing in the early seventeenth century. Here, Sōken transcribed a waka (31-syllable court verse) by Ki no Tsurayuki and—to add an unexpected twist—included the poet’s name in the middle of the composition. It reads: Hana no ka ni koromo wa fukaku nari ni keri [Tsurayuki] ko no shita kage no kaze no ma ni ma ni The scent of blossoms has soaked ever deeper into our robes, [by the poet Tsurayuki] as breezes come and go in the shade of the trees. (Trans. John T. Carpenter)

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Poem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry BlossomsPoem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry BlossomsPoem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry BlossomsPoem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry BlossomsPoem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry Blossoms

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.