Poem by Kakinomoto Hitomaro, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki)

Poem by Kakinomoto Hitomaro, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki)

Katsushika Hokusai

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kakinomoto Hitomaro (act. late seventh–early eighth century), the author of this poem, was known for his intense language and subject matter. Like Hokusai, he had a gift for observation and for finding the human inflection in landscape. Ashibiki no yamatori no o no hidari o no hitori ka mo nemu Trailing, the mountain pheasant's tail long and longer this night too, spent along will be.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Poem by Kakinomoto Hitomaro, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki)Poem by Kakinomoto Hitomaro, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki)Poem by Kakinomoto Hitomaro, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki)Poem by Kakinomoto Hitomaro, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki)Poem by Kakinomoto Hitomaro, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki)

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.