Poet Fujiwara no Takamitsu (?-994) from page 14B of the printed book of "Thirty-Six Immortal Poets" (SanjÅ«rokkasen), Kōetsu edition c. 1610

Editor: Here we have Poet Fujiwara no Takamitsu from the "Thirty-Six Immortal Poets," created by Hon'ami Kōetsu during the Momoyama period. The intricate patterns and flowing calligraphy give it such a unique feel... What do you see in this piece? Curator: Oh, it's a whisper from a vanished world, isn't it? The poet, poised with his gaze fixed just past us, seems to be contemplating… perhaps the very verse Kōetsu captured above him. Do you feel that tension between the rigid grid at the bottom and the free-flowing script? Editor: Now that you mention it, yes! It's like a conversation between constraint and freedom. Curator: Precisely! It makes you wonder, doesn't it, about the poet's own struggles with form and expression. It's less about perfect likeness and more about evoking a presence. Editor: I never thought about it that way. It's like the artist is inviting us into the poet's inner world. Curator: Exactly! Art isn't always about what we see, but what we feel.