Description:
vertical chūban triptych; sumō; nishiki-e

Label Text:
The title of this print is given at the top of the central panel within the white cartouche. The other typical identifying marks can all be found on the left panel within the blue-green cartouche, including the name of publisher Yamamotoya Heikichi of the firm Eikyūdō, the circular nanushi censor seal of Watanabe Shōemon, and the signature of the artist, which reads "Kōchōrō Kunisada ga" ('drawn by Kōchōrō Kunisada'), a name used by the artist from ca. 1824–1861. This print has been dated on the basis of the lone nanushi seal; it is known that Watanabe sealed singly from the sixth lunar month of 1842 until the fifth intercalary month of 1846.

The inscriptions within the yellow cartouches at the top of the outer panels indicate the identities of the various wrestlers.

Tags:
games; play; wrestling; men; nudes; cloth; entertaining; crowds

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2005.490.a-c

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.