Shikishi of Thirty-Six Poets (inscription by Suminokura Soan)
- Person
-
賛者角倉素庵
- Date
-
制作年 AD17
- Title
- サンジュウロッカセンシキシ（スミノクラソアンサン）
- Materials, techniques and shape
- Color on paper
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-000885-0000
- License
- CC BY Images license
- Creditline
-
慶應義塾（センチュリー赤尾コレクション）
- URL
- Classification
- Art
- AI Tagging
- Art Handwriting Wood Rectangle Font
The Anthology of Thirty-Six Poets (Jp. Sanju-Rokkasen) selected by Fujiwara-no-Kinto (996-1041) was a sought-after poetry book among the Heian court nobility. In the 12th century, toward the end of the Heian Era, the kasen-e, or portraits and inscriptions of the representative waka poems of the thirty-six immortal poets, came into being. The early editions of kasen-e paintings and inscriptions for each poet appeared as handscrolls. Then they became popular motifs on shikishi, or decorated square paper. Later, bound shikishi books, or the shikishi-cho (shikishi book), came into being. Whichever editing style was adopted, only the most famous painters of the era were commissioned to draw the portraits of the long-admired poets. Likewise, outstanding calligraphers, often noblemen, of the time were asked to hand-copy the poems.The exhibit shows a kasen-e painted on colorful and decorative mica-covered shikishi, on which Suminokura Soan wrote down representative waka by each poet. As each shikishi was separated into “right” and “left” groups, they were likely produced for poetry contests. Originally, these shikishi cards derived from a Thirty-Six Poets Shikishi Book. One leaf depicting Ki-no-Tsurayuki is missing. Suminokura Soan (1571-1632) headed the affluent Suminokura Family of Kyoto during the early Edo Period. His common name was Yoichi. He often used the literary pseudonym of Soan. Engaged in a government-licensed “vermillion seal” (Jp. Shuin) trade, Soan’s father Ryoi (1554-1614) had built a fortune. Soan inherited the family business and expanded it, for example, by opening up the shipping service on the Takase-gawa River in Kyoto, contracting civil engineering projects and trade business. It is said that he made as many as 16 voyages for the licensed trade, his ships carrying the vermillion seal. During the Winter Campaign of Osaka (Osaka Fuyu-no-Jin), he took charge of military-ware logistics for the Tokugawas. Later Soan was a big influence during the construction of the Edo Castle. Soan was also a well-learned scholar in Chinese and ancient Japanese arts and literature and was a man of refined taste. In calligraphy, in particular, he studied under Hon-ami Koetsu (1558-1637), one of the widely-acclaimed Three Brushes of the Kannei Era, and himself was hailed as the best Hon-ami School disciple. As clearly seen in the exhibited shikishi, Soan’s calligraphy was very similar to his master’s. Although the painter has not been identified, the traditional style using some contemporary interpretation and the natural flow reminds the viewer of the Kano-style rendition. The silver-mud mist around each poet’s portrait adds splendor to the otherwise monotonous renditions.
Overview
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Depository and ID
Components
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Details
Identifiers
- Title (EN)
- Shikishi of Thirty-Six Poets (inscription by Suminokura Soan)
Physical description
- Weights and quantities
-
Quantity 35枚
- Attachments
- 外箱、包裂、マット
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