Military Training in Water-5, handscroll

This picture scroll is a pictorial record depicting the scene of a training of horse riding and gun shooting, one of the Military drills in Yanagawa Domain, in the water at the outer moat part of Yanagawa castle. It consists of two scrolls, the first one depicts the drill in July 2nd, 1823 and the second drill depicts in July 18th, 1823. Every details of the picture was carefully depicted with fine lines, and the texts on the upper part of the pictures mention the names of the people, the battle flags, official positions, and even the breed of horses. A similar picture scroll painted by Soho has been handed down in the other former feudal lord family. The picture scroll is entitled "Firework Color Picture". The firework referred here, is a firearm which was used by the army during the Edo period (17th-19th century). It is impossible to make it complete without collecting information carefully, because this kind of pictorial record is the information of domains which can not be release easily. Soho probably used to cope with this kind of job in recording especially as the official painter of the domain.