Artist: Ogata Kōrin
Date: 1709
Size: 164 x 352 cm
Technique: Gold Leaf
The stately, vertical forms of irises set against an angular bridge that sweeps diagonally across both screens refer to an episode in The Ise Stories (Ise monogatari). Exiled from Kyoto after an affair with a high-ranking court lady, the story’s protagonist stops at Yatsuhashi, a place where a stream branches into eight channels, each with its own bridge. The sight of irises prompts him to compose a nostalgic love poem. The first syllable of each line forms the Japanese word for irises (kakitsubata). The English translation, though unable to convey the complex wordplay of the original, is also an acrostic:Karagoromo kitsutsu narenishi tsuma shi areba harubaru kinuru tabi o shi zo omouI wear robes with well-worn hems,Reminding me of my dear wifeI fondly think of always,So as my sojourn stretches on Ever farther from home,Sadness fills my thoughts. —Trans. John T. Carpenter
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