Description
This record is a letter by Emperor Go'daigo (1288-1339), grieving over the death of Ayanokoji Ariyori, who taught him Eikyoku song and Wagon harp. The Emperor allowed Ariyori's son to inherit his father's masterpieces in this letter. Ariyori taught Eikyoku song and Wagon harp to both Emperor Go'fushimi and Emperor Go'daigo. He died on July 18, 1329, at the age of 35. His son was only 8 years old.
The emperor's signature, written seal, and date are not in the letter, but it is assumed that the Emperor wrote the letter at the age of 42, soon after Ariyori's death. Characterized by the bold stroke of the brush pen, this is a unique masterpiece of the Emperor's handwriting.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
September 14, 2026