Sumô Wrestler Prints

Sumô is a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan’s national sport. It originated in ancient times as a performance to entertain the Shinto gods. Many rituals with religious background are still followed today. The basic rules of sumô are simple: The wrestler who first touches the floor with something else than the soles of his feet or leaves the ring, loses. The bouts usually last only a few seconds and in rare cases up to one minute or longer. I am grateful to Yasu Takano for identifying many of the wrestlers.

	Wrestler: Mutsugamine Iwanosuke Date: 1853 Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei
	Wrestler: Inagawa Masanosuke Date: 1845-1846 Publisher: Maruya Seijirô (Marusei)
	Wrestler: Koyanagi Tsunekichi Date: Publisher: Maruya Seijirô (Marusei)
	Wrestler: Nioarashi Isogoro in professional attire (Marugame Genkai aratame Nioarashi Isogoro) Date: 1845 Publisher: Nishimura Yohachi
	Wrestler: Oniwaka Rikinosuke Date: Publisher: NOTE: Oniwaka Rikinosuke was an extremely large child who participated in the ring entering ceremony (dohyo-iri) in the early 1850s.
	Wrestler: Oniwaka Rikinosuke in sumô attire Date: Publisher:
	Wrestler: Oniwaka Rikinosuke in street attire Date: Publisher: Enami
Wrestler: Oniwaka Rikinosuke at age eight with his giant hand print Date: c. 1850 Publisher: Matsu-ya
Wrestlers: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV as the sumô wrestler Nuregami Chôgorô (right) and Ichikawa Hazaemon as the wrestler Hanaregoma Chôkichiin (left) in the kabuki play Futatsu Chôchô kuruwa nikki Date: Eighth month of 1841 Publisher: Edo-ya Matsugorô
	Wrestler: Nioarashi Isogoro street attire (Marugame Genkai aratame Nioarashi Isogoro) Date: c. 1830 Publisher: Nishimura Yohachi
Actors: Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XII as sumô wrestler Akitsushima Kuniemon (left) and actor Arashi Kichisaburô III as sumô wrestler Onigadake Dôemon (right) in the kabuki play ‘Sekitori Nidai no Shobuzuke’. Date: 1850 Publisher:
	Title: Ikezuki Geitazaemon, the big wrestler Publisher: Hon-ya Genpachi Note: Ikezuki Geitazaemon was not a skilled sumô wrestler, but was a giant who was brought to Edo about 1844 as a special attraction to perform conduct a ring entering ceremony (dohyo-iri).
	Wrestler: Ikezuki Geitazaemon in street attire Date: 1844 Publisher:
	Wrestler: Ôzora Buzaemon Date: 1827 Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tobei NOTE: Ôzora Buzaemon had an unusually short sumo career. He appeared only in the 1827 spring season, losing all seven matches, and retired immediately.
Wrestlers: Kotôzan Bun-emon (left) and Iwamigata Jôemon (right) Judge: Musashigawa Date: 1842 winter season or the 1843 spring season Publisher: Fujioka-ya Hikotarô
Wrestlers: Shiranui-emon and Kagiyama Taniemon Judge: Shikimori Inosuke (left) and Miyagino (right) Date: Publisher: Fujioka-ya Hikotarô
Subject: The ring-entering ceremony from the 1850 spring season held on the Honjo Ekôin Temple grounds Wrestlers: The wrestlers on the right are on the higashi (east side). From the right, in descending order in ranking: Tsurugizan (ôzeki), Koyanagi (sekiwake), Goyôboku (komusubi), Iôzan, Arakuma, Tomozuna, Kumagatake, Kumosayama, Musashino, Masuizan (stepping into the ring), Kumoudake (already standing in the ring). Exiting to the left are the wrestlers on the nishi (west side), also in a descending order in ranking from the right: Kagamiiwa (sekiwake, still in the ring), Arauma (komusubi, stepping out of the ring), Tsuneyama, Inagawa, Itsukushima, Kaigatake, Kuroiwa, Kimigatake, Ichiriki, Amatsukaze. The ôzeki of the west side, Hidenoyama, is the large figure already off the ring, appearing behind the exiting wrestlers. Date: 1850 Publisher: Tsujioka-ya Bunsuke
A later edition of the same triptych with different wrestlers’ names and generally harsher colors. This triptych represents the 1865 winter season, also held at Honjo Ekôin. The names on the right are for the east side and those on the left for the west side. On the east side, they are from the right in a descending order in ranking: Kimenzan (ôzeki), Jinmaku (sekiwake), Chitosegawa (komusubi), Kajigahama, Arauma, Shiramayumi, Terugatake, Yanasedake, Minatogawa, Tsurugataki. On the west side are, from the right to left also in a descending order in ranking: Shiranui (ôzeki), Onogawa (sekiwake), Washigahama (komusubi), Shushakayama, Chiganoura, Azumazeki, Ayanami, Musashigawa, Ryôgoku, Koshinoumi.

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