UTAGAWA KUNISADA II (1823-1880), also called Kunimasa III, color woodblock print. Japan, 1870.
Depicting a Sumo wrestler, wearing an apron (keshomawashi), and a judge to the centre of the piece. Measurements 24,5x36,2 cm. Laid on paper panel measurement 42x55 cm. Not framed.
Wear to edges, marks from being folded. Soft handling creases. Colors possibly slightly faded. Spots.
Provenance
From the Collection of Göran Flyxe.
Exhibitions
Exhibited at the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, Haifa, Spring 1997, Krognoshuset, Lund 14-30/1 1974, Norrköping Museum, Norrköping 9/6-28/7 1974, Galleri Asthley, Skinnskatteberg 5/6-18/7 1993, Kalmar Museum, Kalmar nov 1974, Röhsska Museet, Göteborg 9/12-23/1 1978, Östasiatiska Museet, Stockholm 24/12 1993-14/3 1994.
More information
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.