Starter's Orders

Woodcut on Awagami kitakata, edition of 100, 8 x 7 inches (20.32 x 12.7 cm)

Once upon a time, many a state fair-goer witnessed the incomparable spectacle of monkey jockeys riding greyhounds. I like to think of this wacky phenomenon as a half-step between the dog track and the sport of kings, both exotic and lowbrow all at once. Some enterprising showmen even took the concept a step further with monkey speedway, an attraction where capuchins chased each other around a track in pint-sized automobiles. Think what you will, monkey racing in any form was a crowd pleaser.