National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This is the second volume of Wakan Roeishu (an anthology of Japanese and Chinese poems). Although the Wakan Roeishu used to be possessed as one complete set (two volumes) in the past, currently its fragments are possessed by different owners. This scroll fully displays refined elegance of high-rank court nobles through the elaborate arrangement of colors on the paper and use of different kinds of paper, such as somegami (dyed paper), kumogami (paper with a cloud pattern in its upper and lower parts), and tobikumogami (some fibers are spread over the paper like flying clouds). The writing is also elegant and subtle while skillfully using the shades of sumi and wet and dry brush strokes. While this was originally possessed by Taku Matano (Randen, 1839–1921), director of the Imperial Museum, the ownership was later transferred to Takashi Masuda (Dono, 1848–1939) and then to the nation after the war. Named after the former owners, this scroll is also called "Matano Roei" or "Masuda Roei." The fragments of the first volume are currently possessed by different owners.