Cleveland Museum of Art

Moon Viewing, from The Tale of Heike

Yosa Buson

Date: 1700s
Medium: hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper
Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Department: Japanese Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

Drawing from Japanese literature, Yosa Buson copied almost the entire text of the “Moon Viewing” episode from The Tale of the Heike , a story of the rise and fall of the Taira family. The two characters he painted were given nicknames based on 31-syllable waka poems they composed. Seen from behind at the top is Matsuyoi, or “Waiting at Nightfall,” while the person striding below is Mono ka wa Kurando, roughly equivalent to “‘It’s Nothing’ Chamberlain.” The Tale of the Heike is a great historical romance written around 1240.

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