Keywords
Art History
Painting
Document
Lit. "narrow road of ivy." Pictorial subject matter taken from Episode 9, *Azuma kudari 東下り, of Ise monogatari 伊勢物語 (The Tales of Ise), where the protagonist, often identified as Ariwara no Narihira 在原業平 (825-80), while traveling up Mt. Utsu (see *Utsu-no-yama 宇津の山) along a narrow road overgrown with ivy and maples, meets a wandering ascetic headed back towards the capital and entrusts him with a message for a lady there. It reads: Suruga naru; Utsu no yamabe no; utsutsu nimo; yume nimo hito ni; awanu narikeri 駿河なる 宇津の山辺の うつつにも 夢にも人に あわぬなりけり.