This fragment of the Imperial poem anthology Kokin wakashu (Collection of ancient and modern poems) contains the first four poems of the beginning of Section 10: Names of Things. Three of these four poems are themed on the bush warbler, the cuckoo and the cicada, respectively, and the fourth one is a reply poem. Attributed to Ono no Michikaze, one of the “Three Brush Traces” (sanseki) of the Heian period, the only surviving scrolls and scroll fragments are today scattered over several collections. Among the most famous are a scroll with Section 12 once in the collection of the Sakai clan of the Tsuruoka domain, now in the Kyoto National Museum and designated a National Treasure, and a scroll with Section 16–17, now in the Sannomaru Shozokan Museum of the Imperial Collections. Further fragments are contained in the album Moshiogusa (Album of sea weeds), known as the “album of National Treasures” (Kyoto National Museum), and the album Minuyo no tomo (Friend of an unseen world) in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts. While the scroll of the Kyoto National Museum uses white-colored paper with a printed background pattern of oleander blossoms, the present fragment is written on indigo-colored paper with a cloud-and-cranes design and mica dust. This decorative approach suggests that for every section a different paper ground would be used. The scroll measures 16.7cm in height; the writing appears to be of a single hand, yet its style does not fully correspond to Ono no Michikaze’s calligraphy. Considering the decoration of the paper, it appears likely that it dates to the time after Michikaze, perhaps the late Heian period in the early twelfth century.

The fact that the scrolls and fragments with calligraphy from the Kokin wakashu are called Hon’ami-gire (Hon’ami fragments) has its origin in their unique aesthetic qualities that prompted Hon’ami Koetsu (1558–1637), the eminent master of the Rimpa school, to fervently collect and treasure them. In 1795, the scholar Tsumura Soan writes in his essays Tankai that “the most important fragments of calligraphy of the ancient masters in our country are those by Ono no Michikaze, known as Hon’ami-gire, all of them composed on [decorated] Chinese paper.” This implies that the term Hon’ami-gire by then was already widely used. The attribution to Ono no Michikaze is based on an appraisal by Karasumaru Mitsuhiro (1579–1638), like Koetsu one of the Three Master Calligraphers of the Kan’ei Era (Kan’ei no sampitsu). Mitsuhiro declared: “[Michikaze’s writing] evokes the idea of flowers tinged with dew in an open field. His characters bend in the wind like willows at the shore,” adding that the Hon’ami-gire must be of Michikaze’s own hand. Yet, strictly speaking the identification with Ono no Michikaze, the famous master of the Heian period, is less of a plausible attribution that an indication of the high esteem in which these calligraphies were held throughout the Edo period.

The section title “Names of Things” refers to the topic of some of these poems, but also implies that in some cases the poet may have hidden a word or phrase in the characters of the poem, as a kind of word puzzle. This section thus comprises some of the most sophisticated compositions of the Kokin wakashu.

Though a comparatively small work, the scroll effortlessly evokes a sense of courtly refinement through its choice of color and background pattern, the use of the glimmering mica powder and the well-balanced, delicate writing style of its Japanese kana characters. It is perhaps for these qualities that past collectors felt no hesitation in linking the work to Ono no Michikaze, Japan’s revered master of the indigenous wayo style.

Ono no Michikaze (calligrapher; 894–966)
Mid-Heian period calligrapher. With Fujiwara no Sukemasa and Fujiwara no Yukinari, Michikaze counts as one of the three master calligraphers (“Three Brush Traces”) of the Heian period. His major achievement is the introduction of a new Japanese style (wayo), as opposed to the traditional styles derivative of Chinese models. He served at the court of Emperors Daigo, Suzaku and Murakami.