Album of Twelve Waka from Poetry Competition of Poets of Different Eras

Calligraphy traditionally attributed to Emperor Go-Yōzei Japanese

early 17th century

Not on view

This extravagant album encapsulates a millennium of Japanese courtly aesthetic priorities and features brush writing in various aristocratic styles. While the poetic texts reward careful reading, the paper on which they appear vies for our attention. The abstract and natural motifs that decorate its surface are rendered in gold and silver powders as well as ink, colors, and cut foil.

The album contains a dozen pairs of waka, with the poet’s name given to the right of each text. All were drawn from a famous compilation of classical waka entitled Poetry Competition of Poets of Different Eras (Jidai fudō uta-awase). Authentication slips were later added to identify each calligrapher. However, it is likely that most, if not all, of these attributions are speculative.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

伝後陽成天皇他筆　「時不同歌合」和歌色紙帖
Title: Album of Twelve Waka from Poetry Competition of Poets of Different Eras
Artist: Calligraphy traditionally attributed to Emperor Go-Yōzei (Japanese, 1571–1617) and eleven others
Period: Momoyama period (1573–1615)
Date: early 17th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Album of twelve double leaves; ink on gold and silver decorated paper
Dimensions: Image: 7 15/16 × 9 3/16 in. (20.1 × 23.4 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2019
Object Number: 2019.420.11
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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