Depicting Umegatani I who was the 15th to reach the reached the sport's highest rank of yokozuna. Measurement 23,5x35 cm. Measurement with frame 42x55 cm. Not framed.
Wear to edges, repaired tear, and dis-coloration. Soft handling creases. Colors possibly slightly faded.
From the Collection of Göran Flyxe.
Exhibited at the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, Haifa, Spring 1997, Galleri Asthley, Skinnskatteberg 5/6-18/7 1993, Östasiatiska Museet, Stockholm 24/12 1993-14/3 1994.
Depicted in "Edo Sumo Nishiki", 1986, p.100.
Japanese Sumo Wrestling is one of the oldest martial arts in Japan. Sumo wrestlers were a favorite subject on Japanese woodblock prints.
Sumo has its roots in the shinto religion. The matches were dedicated to the gods in prayers for a good harvest. The oldest written records date back to the 8th century. But it is probably more than 1500 years old.
Sumo prints from the 18th and 19th century prove the popularity of the sport in the past.