"Imperial Visit to the Great Horse Race at the Kaya-no-in Mansion" from the Tale of Flowering Fortunes

Japan

Not on view

A horse race in autumn 1024 is the setting for this episode from the quasi-historical account of the life of Fujiwara Michinaga (966–1027), the great Heian-court statesman, imperial regent, and patron of the arts. As the race is about to begin, visitors of various courtly ranks make their way to the viewing stand. In addition to detailing the career of Michinaga, the Tale of Flowering Fortunes (Eiga monogatari) is a chronicle of aristocratic life in Kyoto during the Heian period, with descriptions of rivalries, marriages, births, and deaths within the rarified atmosphere of the imperial court.

"Imperial Visit to the Great Horse Race at the Kaya-no-in Mansion" from the Tale of Flowering Fortunes, Handscroll segment mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan

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