Sakai Tadaari
18th century (Mid-Edo period)
Donated by the Homma family
Sakai Tadaari (1755–1812) was the ninth lord of the Shōnai Domain. During his reign, he undertook a radical restructuring of the local economy, encouraging a culture of thrift among the populace by leading by example. He made Homma Mitsuoka, a wealthy merchant from Sakata, a kattekata (someone in charge of agricultural and financial affairs), spearheading financial and agricultural policy reforms. He founded the Chidokan, a school aimed at cultivating well-educated individuals, and was also a skilled calligrapher, painter, and poet.
This piece contains the first line of “Drunken Sleep,” a five-character quatrain by Tang Geng, a poet of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127).
Reading: Yama shizuka ni shite taiko nitari
Translation: (The) mountains as quiet as ancient times