"Some time ago I posted a painting from my large series of over 80 oils of the Japanese Noh theater, and this one, the 22nd in the series, was among my favourites. The story concerns the court intrigues of the Heian Period (794-1185), a time when poetry competitions carried great prestige, and famous woman writer Ono no Komachi is accused of copying her prize-winning poem from an old anthology. She proves that a jealous rival has in fact copied her poem into the anthology by washing the book and the new ink is removed while the old poems are left intact. I very much enjoyed painting the stunning colors of the silk brocade kimono and especially the vermilion hakama (court apron) reflecting in the polished wood of the stage." Binnie, July 2023
