Fujiwara no Sadanobu's most famous surviving works come from his calligraphy of a segment of the poem anthology Tsurayuki-shū composed by
Ki no Tsurayuki known as the Ishiyama-gire composed in the 12th century. In his work, he used a versatile and attractive style while mainting speed and power. The Tsurayuki-shū itself is part of a larger series of poems called the Anthology of Thirty-Six Poets(Nishi Honganji Sanjurokunin-shu), a compilation of poetry from the
Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry given to a
Hongan-ji temple by
Emperor Go-Nara in Tenmon 18. "Ishiyama" refers to the locality in
Osaka where the temple once stood. Poem anthologies were given as gifts in the Heian period, so great effort was taken to be aesthetically refined. The natural iconography also included other insects and plants, embellished in silver. The Ishiyama-gire is composed of
waka short poems, that sometimes deal with death and departure. The two poems mourning a lost friend illustrated here read: A beloved friend whom I met until yesterday is gone today, swept away like mountain clouds. How tragic that although we live, whatever we have will surely die. == References ==