National Treasure Gallery | Selected Poems of Bai Juyi
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Selected Poems of Bai Juyi(detail), By Fujiwara no Kōzei, Heian period, 1018 (National Treasure)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 2
November 30, 2021 (Tue) - December 25, 2021 (Sat)One of Japan's most celebrated calligraphers, Fujiwara no Kōzei (972–1027), inscribed this scroll with poetry at the age of 47. He selected eight poems by Bai Juyi (618–907), a Chinese poet-politician much admired in Japan, and copied them onto paper of alternating colors in light, effortless brushstrokes. At the end, Kōzei writes that he had to borrow a brush from a sutra scribe on this occasion. He notes that his calligraphy looks mediocre because of the borrowed brush, and kindly asks the reader not to laugh. Despite his humility, later generations admired, studied, and copied this work, appraising it as Kōzei's masterpiece.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | National Treasure | Selected Poems of Bai Juyi | By Fujiwara no Kōzei (972–1027) | Heian period, 1018 (Kannin 2) | B-2533 |