Six immortal poets

vertical scroll painted in ink and colors on paper, in frame. The Six Immortal Poets (Rokkasen) are authors of verses who lived in the first part of the Heian period (794-1185), the most glorious in the history of Japanese culture. Their names are first mentioned by Ki no Tsurayuki (872-945), himself a poet and author of the preface to the Kokin wakashu, a famous anthology of waka (thirty-one syllable) verses in which also features Rokkasen's compositions. The Rokkasen are the aristocrats Otomo no Kuronushi, Ariwara no Narihira and Fun'ya no Yasuhide, the two Buddhist monks Kisen Hoshi and Sojo Henjo, and the poet Ono no Komachi.

44x51 cm