Portrait of Kakinomoto no Hitomaro by Ono no Otsu
- Person
-
作者・賛者小野お通
- Date
-
制作年 AD16
- Title
- オノノオツウヒツカキノモトノヒトマロジガサン
- Materials, techniques and shape
- 紙本墨画
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Keio Museum Commons Campus Mita
This exhibit shows a portrait of Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. Both the ink painting and calligraphy were rendered by Ono no Otsu (1568-1631?). Hitomaro was venerated so much so that, from around the Heian Period (12th c.), it became customary to hang his portrait on tokonoma alcove at poetry parties. People wishing to master the art of waka composition and for success prayed to his image, the “patron saint of waka poetry.” The exhibit shows an oversimplified pictogram-like representation of Hitomaro. You can see that the lines forming the cap, facial features and the shoulders of the hunting robe show the characters “kaki,” a part of Hitomaro’s surname. The right hand holding a brush looks like the character “moto.” The lines of the right and left feet form the characters “hito” and “maru” (not “maro” but similar in sound), thus cleverly spelling the name of the ancient poetic saint, while also showing his image. Ono no Otsu was the daughter of Ono no Masahide, the governor of Noto Province, and was presumably the author of Joruri Monogatari (lit. The Tale of Joruri. Notes: A joruri is a dramatic narrative chanted to a samisen accompaniment). While not much is known about this literary lady’s life, she is said to have been blessed with many talents, such as poetry composition, music, calligraphy and painting. She served Lady Yodo, Generalissimo Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s concubine, and Princess Sen, the daughter of Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, as their private secretary, in addition to teaching samurai’s daughters and coaching calligraphy.Ono no Otsu exhibits wildly varied thick and thin brush strokes, reflecting the unique aesthetic sense she developed. This style, dubbed the Otsu Style, was particularly popular among women.
ほの／＼とあかしのうらの朝霧にしまかくれ行舟をしそおもふ 小野氏つう女書
Overview
Rights
Depository and ID
Components
OPEN DATADESIGN
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Details
Identifiers
- Title (EN)
- Portrait of Kakinomoto no Hitomaro by Ono no Otsu
Physical description
- Weights and quantities
-
Quantity 1幅
- Attachments
- メモ3枚
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