Miya, from the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road - Utagawa Hiroshige

A dynamic woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige depicting a night-time horse race during the Atsuta Festival at Miya station.

Utagawa Hiroshige produced this woodblock print as part of his first major series, The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō. This specific work represents Miya, the forty-second station on the coastal route between Edo and Kyoto. During the Edo period, Miya was the largest station on the road, famous for its proximity to the Atsuta Shrine. The image captures the Atsuta Festival, an annual event held at the shrine. Unlike many other prints in the series that focus on quiet vistas, this print is filled with frantic energy and human activity. The scene takes place at night, indicated by the dark grey bands at the top and bottom of the frame. Two groups of men compete in a horse-chasing ritual known as the horse-matsuri. They pull ropes attached to horses, their bodies leaning forward to convey the physical strain of the race. The figures wear simple festival attire, including short coats and headbands. On the right, a large wooden torii gate marks the entrance to the sacred shrine grounds. On the left, spectators watch from a thatched building while smoke from bonfires rises into the air in thick, white plumes. Hiroshige used the woodblock medium to create atmospheric effects. The grey wash of the ground and the dark sky are achieved through bokashi, a technique of hand-applying ink to the block to create gradations. This method provides a sense of depth and nocturnal atmosphere without the use of complex shading. The artist chose a low perspective to emphasise the speed of the runners. The use of red and blue pigments on the clothing provides a contrast against the neutral tones of the background. Hiroshige integrated local customs and seasonal events into these topographical studies.