Kikukawa Eizan

These women are engaged in a poetry competition known as “the winding water banquet,” dating to as early as the Heian period in Japan (794-1185). Wine cups were floated on the water, and the guests were expected to drink from a cup and recite a verse or compose a few lines of poetry to complete someone else’s verse.

This competition had its roots in China, where a similar gathering was held at the Orchid Pavilion in Shaoxing in Zhejiang province in southern China in 353 AD. A Chinese painting in the case behind illustrates the story.