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Painting by SUZUKI KIITSU
Japanese, 1796-1858
Calligraphy by SAKAI HOITSU
Japanese, 1761-1828
The Poetess Ono no Komachi
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk. 38 1/2 x 13 in. (98 x 33 cm)
Museum Associates Purchase. 63.377
This scroll is an example of a collaborative work between a master and
his disciple. The artist Suzuki Kiitsu has painted the poetess Ono no Komachi,
while his master Sakai Hoitsu has inscribed Komachi's poem on the upper
section of the scroll. Hoitsu, son of a high-ranking daimyo from
the Himeji castle, was a haiku poet and a leading Rimpa school
artist. Kiitsu became a pupil of Hoitsu in 1813. This painting is
close to Hoitsu's work in the pose of Komachi, her flowing hair, the patterns
on her robes, and the refined treatment of color and ink outlines.
Ono no Komachi, whose life is shrouded in mystery, is believed to have
been active in the tenth century. She is a legendary figure, a woman of
great beauty and passion, who has been dramatized in many genres.
The poem in this scroll reads:
Wretched that I am-
A floating water weed
Broken from its roots -
If a stream should beckon,
I would follow it, I think.
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