Description
The Tale of Matsura no Miya is a fanciful love story from the medieval period. In the story, a handsome, talented leading character travels to China as a vice envoy after suffering from a broken heart. In China, he is taught a secret song for the zither from the emperor's sister. It is said to have been authored by Fujiwara no Teika, a famous poet from the early Kamakura period, which lasted from 1192 to 1333.
One of the highlights of this work is the graceful writing. Each character is fully rounded, with sharply-contrasting thick and thin sections. This style is a common feature in calligraphy from the mid-13th century onwards.
Another noteworthy feature is the ornately decorated paper. The pages are dyed in different colors and some feature a pattern that resembles clouds.
The artwork on the pages is also of interest. Some pages feature the moon, clouds, maples branches, and chrysanthemums on hedges, all drawn in silver and gold paint. The story is also set in autumn. Readers must have been swept away by these impressive underdrawings.
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
July 20, 2026