Asian Japanese Poem Calligraphy Cherry Blossoms Cushion

Artist: Ogata Sōken Poem by Ki no Tsurayuki (ca. 872–945) on Decorated Paper with Cherry Blossoms: "The scent of blossoms has soaked ever deeper into our robes, [by the poet Tsurayuki] as breezes come and go in the shade of the trees. . Ogata Sōken headed a wealthy Kyoto merchant family that specialised in textiles, had close ties to the palace, and helped revive traditional Japanese arts in early eighteenth-century Kyoto. His crisp, elegant, and dynamic calligraphy shows indebtedness to the style of Hon’ami Kōetsu, who had revolutionised the art of brush writing in the early seventeenth century. Here, Sōken transcribed a waka (31-syllable court verse) by Ki no Tsurayuki and—to add an unexpected twist—included the poet’s name in the middle of the composition"