A life-like carving of the poet Kakinomoto Hotomaro, the eyes weighted with years, his robes billowing around his emaciated form. The sculpture is carved from a single piece of light Kiri-wood (paulownia). It is signed on the base Katsuhiro, and measures roughly 22 x 36 x 28 cm (9 x 14 x 11 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (c. 662–710) was a renowned Japanese waka poet and aristocrat of the late Asuka period. Kakinomoto lived during a time of significant cultural development in Japan influenced by Chinese Tang Dynasty culture. He served as a court poet for Emperor Temmu and his successors, including Emperor Jito and Emperor Monmu. Hitomaro's work is marked by its emotional depth, vivid imagery, and refined language, his themes range over love, nature, impermanence, and the majesty of life and death. His choka (long poems) and tanka (short poems) are particularly well-known for their sophistication and lyrical beauty. Hitomaro's elegies are considered masterpieces. His poem mourning the death of Prince Takechi expresses profound grief while reflecting on the transient nature of life. Another notable work is his lament for his wife, a deeply personal and touching expression of love and loss. He is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (Sanjurokkasen). These poets were selected by the Heian-period poet and scholar Fujiwara no Kinto as exemplary masters of classical Japanese poetry, particularly in the waka form. Hitomaro is considered one of the greatest poets in Japanese history and is revered as the patron saint of Japanese poetry and remains a towering figure in the history of Japanese poetry, embodying the aesthetic and emotional depth that defines classical Japanese literature.
