<div class="description">
The subject of this painting comes from a 10th-century narrative poem. It tells of a young nobleman's journey into the distant countryside, far from the cluttered environment of the capital (Kyoto). There he came upon a small stream, the banks of which were covered with blooming iris plants. A simple eight-plank bridge allowed travelers to admire the beauty of this natural site. While viewing the beautiful flowers the nobleman composed a poem: <br>I have a beloved wife, <br>Familiar as the skirt of a well-worn robe, <br>And so this distant journeying <br>Fills my heart with grief. <br>Earlier compositions depicting this scene included the wooden footbridge, supports and flower stalks. Here the artist has allowed the imagination of the viewer to "fill in" the scene.</div>
<bdi><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Watanabe_Shik%C5%8D" class="extiw" title="w:en:Watanabe Shikō"><span title="painter (1683-1755)">Watanabe Shikō</span></a>
</bdi>
1700<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1700-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://clevelandart.org/art/1954.603.1">https://clevelandart.org/art/1954.603.1</a>