Great poets of the Japanese tradition

The four prints each depict a famous poet from the Fujiwara period. They were originally part of a larger series and were composed as the main motif of the screen at a later time. From left to right, with the names written in kanji on the right hand side of each sheet, we see: the monk Shun’e 俊恵法師 (1113-1191?), the courtier Fujiwara no Kiyosuke 藤原清輔朝臣 (1104-1177), the scholar Fujiwara no Mototoshi 藤原基俊 (1069-1142) and the lady Akazome Emon 赤染衛門 (956-1041). The upper section of each sheet contains a tanka / waka poem (in kana and kanji) by the depicted author.