A four-fold paper screen painted in ink on a gold ground with six horses frolicking beneath a tree.
Japan, 19th century, Edo period.
Horses entered Japan from the continent in the prehistoric period and were used initially for domestic purposes. Military use of the horse in Japan began centuries later, in the end of fourth century. Thereafter, even in eras of peace, horsemanship was an important attribute of the court and military elite.
Besides, horses are regarded important in the religious realm too. In Shinto it is believed that horses carry messages between the temporal and heavenly realms and kami (gods) appear on horses. In this regard, white horses were initially kept at important shrines as sacred animals, but when this became prohibitively expensive, large carvings or paintings of horses were often substituted. Ema (picture horses) are votive plaques where horses are depicted and are placed at shrines and temples to convey one’s prayers and petitions to the gods.
Screens
A two-fold screen with the Uji River and its bridge
An eight-fold screen depicting flowers of the four seasons
A six-fold screen with a cherry tree
A two-fold screen with a river landscape
A six-fold screen with a covey of uzura and chicks
A six-fold screen with grape vines
A two-fold screen with chrysanthemums
A pair of six-fold paper screens with the Plains at Musashino
A pair of four-fold screens with kuri flowers
A two-fold screen with court ladies
Four fusuma by Nagasawa Rosetsu
A six-fold screen with autumn flowers and grasses
A six-fold paper screen with poem slips
A pair of six-fold screens with scattered fans
A paper screen with the Uji river and its bridge
A pair of six-fold screens with poem slips from the 17th century
A two-fold lacquer screen with a persimmon tree
A six-fold paper screen with the Plains at Musashino
A four-fold screen with horses
