Sarumaru Dayu

Our ninth print of the year represents the late ninth-century poet, Sarumaru Dayu. He is one of those 'doubly famous' poets who are also members of the 'Sanju Rokkasen' or 36 Famous Poets, in addition to the Hyaku-nin Isshu.

I think that his is one of the saddest poems of the hundred. My Japanese language skills are far below the level needed for adequate understanding of this poetry, so I have recently been studying the poems in an English translation, of which there have been quite a few made. Many Japanese people are surprised to learn that the 5-7-5-7-7 rhythm of the originals can be reproduced in English.

Shunsho has given us a pose which certainly seems to capture the lonely mood of the poem. The poet is lost in a reverie - thinking perhaps of happier times? I find the calligraphy on this print also quite special. The brushwork is especially fluid, and was very enjoyable to carve. It is also, unlike many of the others in Shunsho's series, not that difficult to read, as many of the characters are those that are still in use today.

I carved this print during the holiday period at the end of the year. I followed my usual working routine, carving the kimono outlines first, then the delicate pattern. By then, I was in good 'practice', and did the face and hair, followed by the poem. By New Year's Eve, I had reached the end of the poem, and felt that the sound of the temple bells in the distance quite suited my mood.

Please enjoy this print. Coming next, the last print in the first group of ten, Dainagon Kinto.

Translation - Tom Galt 1982 Princeton University Press