八橋図屏風 |Irises at Yatsuhashi (Eight Bridges)

Ogata Kōrin

after 1709 · Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on gold leaf on paper · Asian Art

The stately, vertical forms of irises set against an angular bridge that sweeps diagonally across both screens refer to an episode in The Ise Stories (Ise monogatari). Exiled from Kyoto after an affair with a high-ranking court lady, the story’s protagonist stops at Yatsuhashi, a place where a stream branches into eight channels, each with its own bridge. The sight of irises prompts him to compose a nostalgic love poem. The first syllable of each line forms the Japanese word for irises (kakitsubata). The English translation, though unable to convey the complex wordplay of the original, is also an acrostic: Karagoromo kitsutsu narenishi tsuma shi areba harubaru kinuru tabi o shi zo omou I wear robes with well-worn hems, Reminding me of my dear wife I fondly think of always, So as my sojourn stretches on Ever farther from home, Sadness fills my thoughts. —Trans. John T. Carpenter

Artist

Ogata Kōrin

Date

after 1709

Medium

Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on gold leaf on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Louisa Eldridge McBurney Gift, 1953