This silk miyamairi kimono for a boy's Shinto shrine blessing presents a dramatic musha-e (warrior picture) scene through silkscreen printing, capturing a mounted samurai in the heat of battle. The composition achieves remarkable dynamism through the warrior's commanding pose and the spirited movement of his white steed.
The central figure sits astride a powerful horse at full gallop, its flowing mane and tail streaming with motion. The samurai wears elaborate ō-yoroi (great armor) rendered in muted greens, grays, and blacks, with a magnificent kabuto (helmet) crowned by dramatic curved horns. He draws a great yumi (bow), the quintessential weapon of mounted warriors, poised to release an arrow with deadly precision.
The battlefield setting unfolds across a cream ground with delicately rendered susuki (pampas grass) bending in the wind, suggesting an autumn campaign. Nobori (battle standards) on tall poles flank the scene—striped banners identifying military allegiances that would have been instantly recognizable in feudal times. The atmospheric rendering of windswept grasses creates poetic contrast with the martial intensity of the central action.
Deep black silk at shoulders and hem frames the luminous central tableau, with organic, cloud-like edges suggesting mist or smoke of battle. This imagery expresses hopes that the boy will embody the samurai's courage, skill, and decisive action throughout his life.
It measures 33 inches from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and stands 41 inches tall (84 cm x 104 cm).