A Poem from the Shin Kokinshu with Design of Shinobugusa (Moss Fern)

Hon'ami Koetsu is regarded in Japan as an eminent calligrapher of his time, and the text of the poem he wrote here showcases his skill with alternating between thickly inked and thinly drawn characters. Together with his collaborator, Tawaraya Sotatsu, he specialized in artistic forms that evoke the elegant pastimes of courtly life, including poetry. The pair was particularly successful with a newly prosperous class of townspeople in 17th-century Kyoto who were interested in emulating their aristocratic predecessors. Tawaraya and his studio produced these shinobugusa (moss fern) designs by using real foliage to print with silver and gold ink rhythmically across the paper.

The poem comes from the 1205 anthology Shin Kokinshu (New Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern) and is attributed to Fujiwara Tadahira (880–949), also known as Sadanobu. Within the publication, the verses are preceded by a note that reads, “Sending a spray of plum flowers to his brother Nakahira on the occasion of his being appointed to the Minister of the Left.” The poem itself gives the impression that the poet’s brother has achieved a rank after a long period of effort. The references to plum blossoms set the scene in late winter or early spring. They could also be an allusion to Sugawara Michizane, a great scholar who is regarded as the god of learning and whose symbol is the plum.

遅くとく	Osoku toku	Whether early or late,
つひに咲きぬる	tsuhi ni sakinuru	All have blossomed at last
梅の花	ume no hana	Flowering plum trees.
たが植ゑ置きし	ta ga uheokishi	Who was it sowed the seeds that
種にかあるらむ	tane ni ka aru ran	still continue to flourish?