Bulls Fighting

Bulls Fighting—the traditional sport of bull fighting (togyu) practiced in parts of rural Japan, particularly in Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku where Azechi was born—brings his most regional subject matter to the fore. The togyu of his home prefecture involved two bulls wrestling against each other rather than a bull and a human opponent, the contest a test of bovine strength and will. His bold, simplified rendering of the two heavy animals locked in struggle would have given the composition a dense, powerful mass of opposed force.