Cleveland Museum of Art

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro

Date

early 1300s

Medium

hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Culture

Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Among Japan’s greatest poets, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro’s (c. 660–724) portrait was often displayed at poetry competitions. Here, he gazes up at a falling cherry blossom, his writing box before him, brush and paper in his hands. A short biography and one of his poems are inked on painted rectangles meant to look like decorated papers. The first part of the poem has been mostly lost, but from what remains, it is possible to recognize it as Dimly, dimly in the morning mist that lies over Akashi Bay, my longings follow with the ship that vanishes behind the distant isle. —Translated by Robert H. Bower and Earl Roy Miner The landscapes at the top and bottom of the painting depict Akashi Bay, with its famous pines along the shore, and a lone figure in a boat.

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