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Description
Horseracing at Ueno Park in Tokyo was a popular pastime from 1884 to 1893, and prints of the emperor and empress attending the races were quite popular. Several different versions of the same scene by Chikanobu are known, including one issued before the track opened in which the horses are shown galloping clockwise instead of the usual counter-clockwise direction. In this print the emperor and his attendants are on the second floor of a pavilion, which the artist has skewed away from being parallel with the track in order to show both the royal entourage and the event. While the emperor is shown in Western style military dress, the empress and her ladies wear traditional Japanese court robes. Fireworks explode above the track and pond, with various paper balloons, parasols and toys with parachutes floating down. Edging the track are viewing stands and teahouses, which had long made the Shinobazu Pond a popular destination for parties and love affairs. The manmade island contains a shrine to Benzaiten, a deity associated with music and beauty. In the distance is Mt. Fuji, and beside it is a tall structure that might be the newly constructed bell tower for the Nikolai Cathedral in Kanda.
Horseback riding Men (male humans) Women Emperors Empresses Kimonos Military uniforms Flags Folding screens Boats Horse racetracks Fireworks (visual works) Mountains Ponds Single Built Works Built complexes and districts Horses Ukiyo-e Print
Time Period
Meiji (Japan, 1869-1912)
Source
Woodcuts; Ink on Paper; 14 1/16 in. x 28 7/16 in. (35.72 cm x 72.23 cm); accession number 2003.1.84
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