Courtier and Two Ladies of the Court, with a Poem by Mibu no Tadamine
Rekisentei Eiri Japanese
Not on view
The image presents a fanciful depiction of a court poet accompanied by two young women in contemporary Edo garb. The poem is by Mibu no Tadamine, an early Heian courtier-poet (active 898–920) who was counted among the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals (Sanjūrokkasen). The poem refers to the New Year’s custom of plucking pine saplings while composing poems praying for long life; it reads:
Ne no hi suru
nobe ni komatsu no
nakariseba
chiyo no tameshi ni
nani o hikamashi
If on the day of the rat
no pine saplings
are to be found
what should we pluck
to pray for longevity?
—[Mibu no] Tadamine
(Trans. John T. Carpenter)
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