The Sumō Wrestler Umegatani Tōtarō, 月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

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月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, The Sumō Wrestler Umegatani Tōtarō
月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, The Sumō Wrestler Umegatani Tōtarō
月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
The Sumō Wrestler Umegatani Tōtarō
1891, Meiji period (1868–1912)
月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, artist
1839–1892
The Sumō Wrestler Umegatani Tōtarō, 1891, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Portfolio/Series title: Kinsei jinbutsu shi (Modern People Magazine) Yamato Shimbun (Yamato Newspaper)
Where object was made: Japan
Material/technique: color woodcut
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 333 x 224 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 375 x 252 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 13 1/8 x 8 13/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 14 3/4 x 9 15/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in
Credit line: Museum purchase: Lucy Shaw Schultz Fund
Accession number: 1997.0019
Not on display
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Label texts

Archive Label 2003: Although sumo wrestling had been an integral part of Japanese life for many centuries—even playing an important role in the activities of the Heian period (797-1185) imperial court—it did not appear as a subject for ukiyo-e until the 1780’s. Sumo took on a commercial nature as people began wagering on their favorite wrestlers, and the popularity of the sport led to demands for wrestlers’ portraits. Here Yoshitoshi, one of the last great designers of woodblock prints, portrays the wrestler Umegatani Totaro. Totaro is performing the ceremony of entering the ring or dohyo-iri. He wears a ceremonial fringed apron embroidered with a coat of arms. The rope girdle with hanging gihei indicates that he is of the highest rank. Two attendants flank him to the rear. The inscription is a condensed version of Totaro’s biography. Archive Label date unknown: The sport of sumo wrestling holds a long and important place in Japan's history, with ties to the country's Shintō religion and Heian-era (794-1185) imperial court traditions. Images fo sumo began to appear in the 1780s, when Katsukawa Shunshō introduced portraits of contmeporary wrestlers and created a demand for prints of these popular celebreties. In this newspaper special supplement, Umegatani Tōtarō poses in the stylized ritual for entering a competition ring. The inscription above gives a condensed biography of the sumo star, whose costume indicates that he is a grand champion.