Chinese Poem Lamenting the Death of a Friend
This is one of the Chinese verses Ryōkan Taigu composed upon learning of the death of the Confucian scholar Tomitori Yukinori. In this poignant poem, Ryōkan recalls their joyful days together at a private Confucian school and pours out his profound sorrow upon hearing the news. Ryōkan inscribed the poem in a small standard script, with off-balance characters arrayed in tilted columns.
Artwork Details
- 良寛大愚筆 五言詩 「聞之則物故」
- Title: Chinese Poem Lamenting the Death of a Friend
- Artist: Ryōkan Taigu (Japanese, 1758–1831)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: early 19th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 8 1/2 × 11 1/8 in. (21.6 × 28.3 cm)
Overall with mounting: 43 1/2 × 15 13/16 in. (110.5 × 40.2 cm)
Overall with knobs: 43 1/2 × 17 7/8 in. (110.5 × 45.4 cm) - Classification: Calligraphy
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.396.27
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Ryōkan Taigu
early 19th century
Ryōkan Taigu
early 19th century
Ryōkan Taigu
after 1816
Ryōkan Taigu
early 19th century
Chōbunsai Eishi
early 19th century
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.