Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
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 Cleveland Museum of Art
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1977.203
In the catalog
Sources
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image: The Cleveland Museum of Art — Museum open access
