Detached segment from an illustrated handscroll of Heike kindachi soshi

Object Details

• Label

  Imbued with literary quality and evocative beauty, the painting and calligraphy of this handscroll segment embody the subtle aesthetic ideals fostered in the Japanese imperial court. Heike kindachi soshi recalls the former glory of the Taira family, which was defeated by the Minamoto family in the late twelfth century.

  A complete version of the narrative does not survive. In this segment, a solitary courtier plays a flute from a moonlit veranda. The painting is delicate in execution and faithful to the descriptive and emotional nuances of the text, which describes a courtier's visit to the imperial palace where late one night, a poet named Kokiji brought him flowers. Thereupon, the courtier, leaning against a pillar and splendidly dressed in blue and crimson, played his flute so beautifully that the empress dowager was overcome with emotion. A cloudless moon was shining, and the dew on the ground looked white with its reflection.

  Rendered in ethereal ink lines and ink wash, the work is an important early example of Japanese painting in the hakubyo manner, a mode that continued for several centuries.

• Provenance

  To 1976

  Takashi Yanagi, Kyoto, to 1976 [1]

  From 1976 to 1998

  Mr. Sylvan Barnet and Mr. William Burto, Cambridge, MA, acquired from Takashi Yanagi

  in 1976 [2]

  From 1998

  Freer Gallery of Art, given by Mr. Sylvan Barnet and Mr. William Burto in 1998

  Notes:

  [1] According to Curatorial Note 2, Ann Yonemura, July 8, 1998, in the object record.

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Tales and Legends in Japanese Art (June 21, 2003 to January 4, 2004)

  Beyond the Legacy--Anniversary Acquisitions of the Freer Gallery of Art (October 11, 1998 to April 11, 1999)

  Barnet and Burto loan (on receipt: "loan for display in Chinese and Japanese galleries") (November 1987 to January 1988)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Takashi Yanagi

  Sylvan Barnet (1926-2015)

  William Burto (1921-2013)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Mr. Sylvan Barnet and Mr. William Burto in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Freer Gallery of Art

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1200s, 1300s

• Name

  Barnet, Sylvan, Takashi, Yanagi, Burto, William

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Kamakura period (1185 - 1333), Art, Japanese Art, Kakemono

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings