Poem by Fujiwara no Ietaka (1158–1237) on Decorated Paper with Bush Clover
Ogata Sōken Japanese
Not on view
Ogata Sōken was scion of a Kyoto merchant family with clients among the capital’s aristocracy. While he trained and achieved competency in traditional styles of Japanese painting and calligraphy, he is best known for siring Kōrin and Kenzan, two of the greatest artists in the chronicles of Japanese art. Here, he has transcribed a travel poem by the courtier-poet Fujiwara no Ietaka. The poem reads:
Chigiranedo
hitoyo wa suginu
Kiyomigata
nami ni wakaruru
akatsuki no sora
No vows were made,
but we spent the night at Kiyomi Bay,
as the dawn sky breaks
over the swell of waves.
–Trans. John T. Carpenter
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