Emperor Go-Mizunoo Imperial Handwriting (Shinkan) — Classical Waka on Shikishi Paper

Shinkan refers to calligraphy personally written by an emperor. Emperor Go-Mizunoo, the third son of Emperor Go-Yōzei, was deeply versed in waka poetry and yūsoku kojitsu, the study of precedents governing imperial court ceremonies and culture. This knowledge enabled him to lay the foundation of court culture in the Edo period while also working to revive imperial court ceremonies that had lapsed during the medieval era (the late 12th to the 16th century). This shikishi (poetry card) bears a waka by Fujiwara no Teika taken from the Shoku Gosen Wakashū, an imperial waka anthology. It is believed to have been bestowed upon Matsudaira Yorishige, the first head of the Takamatsu Matsudaira family. Matsudaira Yorishige frequently attended court ceremonies as the shogunate’s representative and maintained close ties with the emperor, even receiving direct guidance from him in waka poetry.