Figures with Calligraphy of a Passage from the "Heike Monogatari" ("The Tales of Heike")
Medium
hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper
Dimensions
157.5 × 28.6 cm · painting only: 111.3 × 27.1 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Sundry Purchase Fund
Accession Number
1971.233
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
A literati painter and haiga poet, Yosa Buson composed both Chinese-style and Japanese-style poems. Here, Buson combined his two figure paintings with calligraphy of text from Heike Monogatari, a great historical romance written around 1240 that describes the rise and fall of the Taira family. The passage records the visits of the Taira courtier Lord Jittei with his sister Matsuyoi, the former empress’s lady-in-waiting. The female figure at the top of the scroll is painted summarily in red-gray ...