Minneapolis Institute of Art

Zither named “Flowing Water

Nakamura Sōtetsu

Date

1794

Medium

Wood with black lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay, silk tassels

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The seven-stringed zither, called kin in Japanese, has been played in China (where it is called qin) for at least 3, 000 years. It was introduced to Japan by the 700s and was a common instrument in the cultural sphere represented in The Tale of Genji. This example of a kin was created by an artist of the celebrated Nakamura family of lacquerers, all of whom used the given name Sōtetsu. The artist of this zither, which is dated to 1794, was probably the fifth-generation Nakamura Sōtetsu, who lived from 1764 to 1811. The Nakamura lacquerers maintained relationships with Japan’s leading cultural trendsetters and were celebrated for their craftsmanship. Asia

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