“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)

Iwasa Matabei (Katsumochi) Japanese

Not on view

This painting pictorializes a scene from The Tale of the Heike, the great early medieval tale of war, valor, and tragic love that commemorates the Genpei War of 1180–85, which pitted the two great courtier families—the Taira (Heike clan) and Minamoto (Genji clan)—against each other. Matabei captures one of the most pivotal and poignant episodes of the entire tale, showing one of the last heirs to the Taira family’s power, Lieutenant General (Chūjō) Koremori, bidding farewell to his wife. As an artist, Matabei established a reputation for adding psychological suggestiveness to his compositions, seen here in the central figures, where the poses and effective use of blank space imply that both realize they will hereafter be separated. In contrast, the attendants have animated facial expressions, manifesting the exaggerated features for which the artist became famous.

“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari), Iwasa Matabei (Katsumochi) (Japanese, 1578–1650), Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and silver on paper, Japan

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“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari), Iwasa Matabei (Katsumochi) (Japanese, 1578–1650), Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and silver on paper, Japan
“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari), Iwasa Matabei (Katsumochi) (Japanese, 1578–1650), Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and silver on paper, Japan
“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari), Iwasa Matabei (Katsumochi) (Japanese, 1578–1650), Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and silver on paper, Japan
“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari), Iwasa Matabei (Katsumochi) (Japanese, 1578–1650), Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and silver on paper, Japan
“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari), Iwasa Matabei (Katsumochi) (Japanese, 1578–1650), Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and silver on paper, Japan
“Taira no Koremori’s Farewell,” from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari), Iwasa Matabei (Katsumochi) (Japanese, 1578–1650), Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and silver on paper, Japan

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