There was a long tradition of imaginary portraits of Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (ca. 660–724), among Japan’s greatest poets. Here, he leans on an armrest, immersed in thought—a pose first used in the Kamakura period (1185–1333). Depicting distant sails, morning fog, and the coastal pines of Akashi Bay, the interior of the box references Hitomaro’s most famous waka, compiled in 905 in the Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern (Kokin wakashū).
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Interior
Artwork Details
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柿本人麻呂蒔絵硯箱
Title:Writing Box (Suzuribako) with the Poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Period:Edo period (1615–1868)
Date:18th century
Culture:Japan
Medium:Lacquered wood with gold and silver takamaki-e and hiramaki-e and cutout gold- and silver-foil application; lead rim
Dimensions:L. 9 5/8 in.(24.5 cm); W.9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm); H.2 in. (5.1 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Object Number:2015.500.2.19a–e
[ Takashi Yanagi , Kyoto, until 1990; sold to Irving]; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1990–2015; donated to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "East Asian Lacquer from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection," November 22, 1991–February 23, 1992.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "No Ordinary Mortals: The Human and Not-So-Human Figure in Japanese Art," November 1, 1996–October 5, 1997.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Resonant Image: Tradition in Japanese Art (Part Two)," April 27–September 27, 1998.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Asian Lacquer: Masterpieces from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection," November 3, 2007–May 11, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Beautiful Country: Yamato-e in Japanese Art," November 20, 2010–June 5, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Sumptuous: East Asian Lacquer, 14th–20th Century," October 25, 2014–August 9, 2015.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated," March 5–June 16, 2019.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Three Perfections: Japanese Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting from the Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection," August 10, 2024–August 3, 2025.
Bincsik, Monika. "The Glory of Urushi: Lacquers for the Japanese Warrior Elite, Monks and Merchants." Arts of Asia 45, no. 6 (November–December 2015). pp. 99–109, fig. 12.
Watt, James C. Y., and Barbara Brennan Ford. East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1991, pp. 206–209, cat. no. 94.
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