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

The court noble Konoe Iemoto (1261-96), also known as Lord Jomyoji or Lord Kosanji, wrote this letter stating his opinion on an inquiry from the Imperial Court regarding a certain "restoration on the Hachiman [Shrine]." The name "Myosei," which appears in the missive, is known to have been appointed as an administrator of Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine in 1280 (Koan 3), indicating that the "Hachiman" here must refer to this shrine. Although the date is unknown, this letter is valuable in showing us Iemoto's calligraphy, which appears in two albums of exemplary calligraphy, otekagami (National Treasure, Yomei Bunko) and Komonjo otekagami (Important Cultural Property, private collection).