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Horserace at Kamo Shrine and Festival of Sumiyoshi Shrine / Horserace at Kamo Shrine

17th century (Edo period)

Sakai City Museum
Sakai-shi, Osaka, Japan

This picture depicts the horserace held at the Kamo Shrine in the capital Kyoto on the fifth of the fifth month; and the Nagoshi ritual held at the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Osaka on the last day of the sixth month, when sacred mikoshi palanquins travels from the shrine to the otabisho, a temporary shrine in Shukuin, Sakai.
When looking at the panels of the Sumiyoshi Festival, the second, the third, and the fourth main shrines are not arranged in L shape, characteristic for the shrine, but lined side by side. Furthermore, the shrine priest on the horse leading the palanquin holds a wooden horse head but such a thing isn’t practiced in the Sumiyoshi Festival. These indicate that the shrine and the parade in this painting aren’t based on the reality. People enjoying the festival are elaborately depicted; and the designs of their clothing show the trend of the time well.

Details

  • Title: Horserace at Kamo Shrine and Festival of Sumiyoshi Shrine / Horserace at Kamo Shrine
  • Date Created: 17th century (Edo period)
  • Original Source: Sakai City Museum
  • Medium: pair of six-panel folding screens / color on gold-leafed paper

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