Horses have been present in Japan as early as in the 5th century. They came from Korea and China, and were quickly adopted in the country. For over one thousand years they were ridden by samurai and this introduction revolutionized warfare. But horses were also instrumental in reshaping political structures and influencing cultural and agricultural traditions. Therefore, it should not be a surprise if they are very present in all kinds of woodblock prints. Following the Meiji revolution in 1868 and the end of the « samurai society », there are no samurai horses now in Japan. But, as you will discover in this post, another horse activity took over.
Enjoy a safe ride!
Like in Europe at the same period, the 19th century in Japan saw the climax of Equine presence in all avenues of Society: from Agriculture, Transportation and Military, to Amusement, and it shows in the variety of woodblock prints that were produced. In this post, you may have noticed horses were overwhelmingly present in the Tokaido series, as the carriers of people and goods.
But there are many more works by Hokusai, Hiroshige and others you can explore further …Good race!
Research and writing: Francis Minvielle
Support and preparation of the French version: Franck Girard
Thanks to:
Imre Nagy for his translations
Francine Minvielle for reading early versions
The British Museum
Mokuhankan.com
Theartofjapan.com
ColBase
FujiArts
The MET
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Wikipedia
ChatGpt
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