Description:
Visual description: This vertical woodblock print depicts Japanese Sumo wrestlers. In the center, there is a group of twenty large men, ranging from young to older, and in lines from sitting to standing. They are shirtless, all wearing different colored and patterned Mawashi loincloths. All except two have black hair pulled into a knot on their heads, adorned with yellow flower bunches. The two wrestlers in the bottom right corner only have hair on part of their heads. An Ozeki wrestler stands in front of them in a kimono, facing towards the left and holding a tall banner. A Gyoji referee squats in the bottom left, holding a Gunbai fan, and wearing a short sword. Japanese writing spans the top of the print, listing the ranks, numbers, and names of each wrestler, and whether they are from the West or the East, in order from the highest rank to the lowest. (Naomi Meyer '27; Voice: Olena Davis, April 22, 2025)
Label Text:
This print is the rightmost panel from a triptych of a sumo parade. This print is signed at middle-left. Though the signature is abraded, it reads "Kikugawa Eizan hitsu" ('drawn by Kikugawa Eizan'). The publisher's seal appears at center-bottom. The syllable 'mi' within a box is the seal of Edo-based publisher Mikawaya Seiemon, who collaborted with Eizan on a number of series from 1806–1829. However, based on the use of aniline dyes, especially the vibrant purples and yellows, this print is likely a later re-issue. - BB 2013
Tags:
festivals; figures; flowers; men; sports; text; wrestling Subjects:
Men; figures (representations); Flowers; Sports; text (layout feature); polychrome Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2005.758 |
