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The Thirty-six Immortals of Poetry (Sanjūrokkasen 三十六歌仙)

Yosa, Buson, 1716-1784 · 1799 · Osaka : Kawachiya Tasuke 河内屋太助; Kyoto : Noda Jihei 野田治兵衛 · 12 pictures

The Thirty-six Immortals of Poetry is a Japanese woodblock-printed picture book of seated portraits of classical court poets, made by Yosa Buson and published in Osaka and Kyoto in 1799 for a readership of poetry lovers. Its pages pair each loose, quick ink figure with a calligraphic poem in the upper margin, giving a designer spare, economical brushwork and open white space set against handwritten text.

Poets, Japanese -- Portraits

Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · No known copyright restrictions · More from this library