Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009323Moon Viewing, from The Tale of Heike
by Yosa Buson
Also known as: Figures with Calligraphy of a Passage from the "Heike Monogatari" ("The Tales of Heike")
About the Artwork
Drawing from Japanese literature, Yosa Buson copied almost the entire text of the “Moon Viewing” episode from The Tale of the Heike, a story of the rise and fall of the Taira family. The two characters he painted were given nicknames based on 31-syllable waka poems they composed. Seen from behind at the top is Matsuyoi, or “Waiting at Nightfall,” while the person striding below is Mono ka wa Kurando, roughly equivalent to “‘It’s Nothing’ Chamberlain.”
Inscriptions
In the lower right, artist's signature and two seals: Sha Chōkō and Sanka Kyoshi
Provenance
?–1971: (Nisaburo Mizutani, Kyoto, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1971–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Year in Review: 1971. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1971-February 6, 1972). Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Nara National Museum (organizer) (February 21-March 29, 1998); Suntory Museum of Art (April 28-June 21, 1998). The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 15-August 21, 2011). “Bunjin” in Japanese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 21, 2026-June 20, 2027).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Yosa Buson (Japanese, 1716–1783)
- Date
- 1700s
- Medium
- hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper
- Dimensions
- Overall: 157.5 x 28.6 cm (62 x 11 1/4 in.); Painting only: 111.3 x 27.1 cm (43 13/16 x 10 11/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Japanese Art
- Credit line
- Sundry Purchase Fund
- Accession no.
- 1971.233
More by Yosa Buson in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009323
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