Two Immortal Poets, 15th century, Unknown Japanese, 11 3/16 x 17 13/16 in. (28.42 x 45.24 cm) (image)46 15/16 x 23 5/16 in. (119.22 x 59.21 cm) (overall, without roller), Ink and color on paper, Japan, 15th century, Fragments of very old handscrolls, particularly those with poetic sentiments expressed by aristocrats from Japans classical past, became popular for display in tea ceremonies in the 1500s. Here, two famous poets of the 700s are portrayed as though engaged in a poetry competition. Dressed in black, on the right, is Ōtomo Yakamochi, a military general and one of the compilers of Japans first great poetry anthology, the Manyōshū. Yamabe Akahito, on the left, was a courtier who composed much of his poetry while traveling the countryside with Emperor Shōmu. Appearing with these imagined portraits are verses by each poet on the theme of spring.