「東海道名所之内」「加茂の競馬」

From the 'Tōkaidō Famous Places' series, this print depicts the Kamo no Keiba (加茂の競馬), the traditional equestrian ceremony held on the fifth day of the fifth month at Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto. One of Japan's oldest horse-racing rituals, the keiba pairs horses in sequential races along the shrine's long, tree-lined approach, with presiding officials in Heian court dress and spectators crowding the cedar barriers. Kyosai, whose figure compositions are marked by explosive physical energy, would render the horses at full gallop with the taut economy of line characteristic of his mature brushwork, attendants in formal eboshi and kannagi dress anchoring the ceremonial frame. The subject connects Kyoto's living ritual calendar to the meishō-e tradition of depicting famous places in their seasonal and ceremonial fullness. Unlike purely topographic compositions, the figure-dominated design here gives Kyosai scope to demonstrate the mastery of animated movement evident throughout his painting and printmaking.