本阿見光悦書・俵屋宗達下絵 桜下絵和歌色紙 鴨長明|Poem by Kamo no Chōmei with Underpainting of Cherry Blossoms

Created in 1606 in Japan, Poem by Kamo no Chōmei with Underpainting of Cherry Blossoms represents a collaboration between Hon'ami Kōetsu, who provided the calligraphy, and Tawaraya Sōtatsu, who executed the underpainting of cherry blossoms. The piece is a poem card (shikishi) in ink, gold, and silver on paper, later mounted as a hanging scroll, and is classified as a painting. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The available sources do not list a specific accession number or any exhibition history for the work.

Created in 1606, this hanging scroll features a poem by the hermit poet Kamo no Chōmei, calligraphed by Hon'ami Kōetsu and set against an underpainting by Tawaraya Sōtatsu. The work is executed on a stiff shikishi card mounted for display, utilizing ink, gold, and silver on a deep indigo paper ground. Sōtatsu's composition depicts cherry blossoms in full bloom, rendered with a distinctive technique where thin silver lines outline the petals to create a shimmering effect against the dark background.

Kōetsu's calligraphy, executed in black ink, flows vertically down the right side, integrating seamlessly with the floral imagery. The artist applied the paint layers before the ink fully dried, allowing the calligraphy and the blossoms to interact visually as a unified whole. This piece exemplifies the Rinpa school's early aesthetic, characterized by the bold use of gold and silver, stylized natural forms, and the synthesis of poetry and painting.

It represents a pivotal collaboration between two masters of the Momoyama and early Edo periods, establishing a visual language that would influence Japanese decorative arts for centuries.