桜下絵和歌色紙 紀 貫之|Poem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry Blossoms
mid- to late 17th century
Medium
Poem card (shikishi) mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and gold on paper
Dimensions
Image: 8 3/8 × 7 11/16 in. (21.2 × 19.5 cm) Overall with mounting (a): 41 1/4 × 12 1/2 in. (104.8 × 31.7 cm) Overall with knobs (a): 41 1/4 × 14 1/4 in. (104.8 × 36.2 cm)
Classification
Calligraphy
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Accession Number
2015.300.242a
Art Historical Context
This exquisite hanging scroll features a waka poem by the Heian-era poet Ki nourayuki (ca. 872–945), one of Japan's "Four Greats" of classical poetry and compiler of the revered *Kokin Wakashū* anthology. Rendered in elegant calligraphy by Ogata Sōken in the mid- to late17th century during Japan's Edo period, the work is a *shikishi*—a traditional square poem card—adorned with delicate cherry blossoms and gold flecks on paper. Tsurayuki's verse evokes the fleeting beauty of sakura, a timeless symbol of life's transience in Japanese culture, perfectly harmonizing with the blossoms painted benea...