A Poem from the Shin Kokinshu with Design of Shinobugusa (Moss Fern)
1605-10
Medium
Fragment of a handscroll mounted as a hanging scroll; ink, gold, silver-colored pigment, and mica on paper
Dimensions
33.6 × 44.5 cm (13 1/4 × 17 1/2 in.); With mounting: 121.6 × 57.5 cm (47 7/8 × 22 5/8 in.); Including lower roller: H.: 62.9 cm (24 3/4 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
228951
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Hon'ami Koetsu is regarded in Japan as an eminent calligrapher of his time, and the text of the poem he wrote here showcases his skill with alternating between thickly inked and thinly drawn characters. Together with his collaborator, Tawaraya Sotatsu, he specialized in artistic forms that evoke the elegant pastimes of courtly life, including poetry. The pair was particularly successful with a newly prosperous class of townspeople in 17th-century Kyoto who were interested in emulating their aris...