“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)

“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)

Iwasa Matabei (Katsumochi)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This painting pictorializes a scene from The Tale of the Heike, the great early medieval tale of war, valor, and tragic love that commemorates the Genpei War of 1180–85, which pitted the two great courtier families—the Taira (Heike clan) and Minamoto (Genji clan)—against each other. Matabei captures one of the most pivotal and poignant episodes of the entire tale, showing one of the last heirs to the Taira family’s power, Lieutenant General (Chūjō) Koremori, bidding farewell to his wife. As an artist, Matabei established a reputation for adding psychological suggestiveness to his compositions, seen here in the central figures, where the poses and effective use of blank space imply that both realize they will hereafter be separated. In contrast, the attendants have animated facial expressions, manifesting the exaggerated features for which the artist became famous.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)

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.