Saddle, Horse-Dipper and Other Harness 19th century

Kubo Shunman created this woodblock print, "Saddle, Horse-Dipper and Other Harness," sometime between the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Japan. This work is a "surimono," a type of privately commissioned print often used for special occasions or announcements. Still life depictions of equestrian equipment like this were not uncommon and can be seen as symbolic of samurai culture during the Edo period. But note how the image invites us to contemplate the absence of the rider. Is this a comment on the changing social role of the samurai class in a time of relative peace? Perhaps Shunman is prompting us to reflect on the rituals and symbols of a fading social order. The calligraphy, typical of surimono prints, adds another layer, perhaps a poem or a celebratory message related to the print's commission. Historians might explore family crests or artistic trends to better understand its precise social context. The meaning of a work like this is never fixed but shifts with the changing social and institutional settings in which it is encountered.