Horseracing at Kamo Shrine and Amusements by the Riverside at Shij late 17th-early 18th century Japan This pair of screens captures the exuberant energy of the former capital of Kyoto by showing people enjoying various entertainments at two locales along the Kamo River. Since ancient times, in the fifth month, an annual horse race was held as part of festival celebrations at the Upper Kamo Shrine. Along with the excitement and drama of the equestrian competition, we can see people from all walks of life—courtiers and court ladies, samurai, and commoners— enjoying the festivities. The companion screen shows the entertainment district along the dry riverbed of the Kamo River, which nearly dries up in summertime. Both types of genre scenes became popular in the early seventeenth century, but this set of screens was produced somewhat later, probably sometime during or around the Genroku era (1688-1704), a period associated with a new luxuriousness in art, and the flourishing of arts aimed