桜下絵和歌色紙　紀 貫之|Poem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry Blossoms

Ogata Sōken

mid- to late 17th century · Poem card (shikishi) mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and gold on paper · Asian Art

Ogata Sōken headed a wealthy Kyoto merchant family that specialized in textiles, had close ties to the palace, and helped revive traditional Japanese arts in early eighteenth-century Kyoto. His crisp, elegant, and dynamic calligraphy shows indebtedness to the style of Hon’ami Kōetsu, who had revolutionized the art of brush writing in the early seventeenth century. Here, Sōken transcribed a waka (31-syllable court verse) by Ki no Tsurayuki and—to add an unexpected twist—included the poet’s name in the middle of the composition. It reads: Hana no ka ni koromo wa fukaku nari ni keri [Tsurayuki] ko no shita kage no kaze no ma ni ma ni The scent of blossoms has soaked ever deeper into our robes, [by the poet Tsurayuki] as breezes come and go in the shade of the trees. (Trans. John T. Carpenter)

Artist

Ogata Sōken

Date

mid- to late 17th century

Medium

Poem card (shikishi) mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and gold on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015