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Utagawa Yoshiiku
Sumō Banzuke (相撲番付) (1859)
colour woodblock
45.0 × 35.0 cm (image) 52.0 × 38.0 cm (sheet)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by the Hon. Michael Watt QC and Cecilie Hall, 2012
Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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Sumō Banzuke
(相撲番付)
(1859)
Medium
colour woodblock
Measurements
45.0 × 35.0 cm (image) 52.0 × 38.0 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by the Hon. Michael Watt QC and Cecilie Hall, 2012
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Sumo banzuke are programs or ranking sheets sold at the entrance to a sumo tournament. Like the tournament bouts, banzuke are divided into a west group and an east group, corresponding to the side of the ring that the wrestlers enter for their bouts. The highest-ranking wrestlers are arranged across the top, with two lines zigzagging down the sheet, descending in rank. In the centre we see details announcing the tournament, the names of the three referees and the two criers, as well as sponsors names on sake barrels.
In the Edo period, a special writing style of bold strokes (sumomuji) is used for sumo-related texts that in appearance reflect the power and the weight of the wrestlers. In a vertical column down the centre of the page are the characters Tamegoran, translating to ‘For all to see’. Under this is written the date: Ansei 6 (1859) Oshogatsu jojun New Year tournament; the place: Ekō-in, a Pure Land Buddhist temple in Ryōgoku, Tokyo; and the tournament’s details: To be held in fine weather over a ten-day period, Ozumō Dohyoiri ritual parade held before the tournament.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Japan
Inscription
printed in ink (in Japanese characters) l.l.: Ikkeisai Yoshiiku ga Koizumi, the engraver
Accession Number
2012.6
Department
Asian Art
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Gordon Darling Foundation