Obana

On my visit to the Hatsu basho this past January, I spotted this illustrated tenugui by the late Kototsurugi in one of the souvenir shops: 巡業風景絵図 (jungyō fūkei ezu) Scenes from Jungyo. I love his comic sumo compositions. So much amusing detail. (I previously posted a couple of other tenugui in the Obituaries thread soon after the artist's passing. Both of those were also on sale.)

A photo around Setsubun (3 February) from the Mt. Takao monthly magazine. Kataonami oyakata (Tamakasuga) with Tamawashi & Tamashoho.

When I visited the Kokugikan for Hatsu Basho this past January, I purchased a stuffable tote bag. It has Ura on the storage bag and an assortment of past and present wrestlers on the shopping bag including Hakuho and Kisenosato.

I love His Excellency Demon Kaka. His English skills are impressive and I want a purple tsuna belt like he often wears. I even have a cd of his band, Seikima II, the only heavy metal recording in my collection. (I don't consider Jethro Tull to be in that category.)

A few postcards by Daimon of Terao along with a coaster from his restaurant and a photo from a January 1986 rikishi guide.

In preparation for watching Grand Sumo Highlights on NHK World, to celebrate Meisei's first win of the basho, I prepared some (very lightly) seared tuna, accompanied with Kubota sake. Go Meisei!

This past basho, I attended shonichi (the opening day) for the first time. Also the first time attending the Nagoya basho. Attendees were given fans and I have been admiring the single continuous line rendering of a sumo wrestler ever since. I wish there were not kanji written over the artwork but think it still bears sharing.

The Yasukuni shrine has a sumo dohyo as well as a statue in front of the rebuild shitaku beya, now a seminar hall and multi-purpose building (靖国神社 啓照館) [Yasukuni Shrine Keishokan]. I decided to visit the shrine precincts on a purely artistic pilgrimage. I discovered that in addition to the main approach to the sanctuary, there is a side entrance across the street from the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres building that runs between the shrine's Noh stage and the Yashukan Museum and leads back to the Keishokan where the statue is installed (bypassing the sanctuary). The pair of wrestlers locked in a yotsu sumo battle is by the sculptor 長谷川義起 Yoshioki Hasegawa (1891-1974) who created the work in (昭和九年五月建) May 1934. Titled 大日本相撲奨勵會, Google maps simplifies the title as 国技 [National Sport]. I think one of the combatants bears a striking resemblance to retired Georgian ozeki, Tochinoshin. There is a very similar (identical?) statue in Takaoka Kojo Park 高岡古城公園 in Toyama Prefecture dating from 1938.

I will be attending the opening day of the Nagoya basho with my nephew, his wife & their 9 year old daughter. My first time attending a basho outside Tokyo, sitting in a masuseki and watching the opening day action. To enhance my grandniece's experience, I have made an indigo dyed combination banner for shin juryo 獅司 Shishi, first sekitori from Ukraine & the newly named ozeki 霧島 Kirishima. file under: One of a Kind Sumo Goods.

I ran across a Japanese book (already sold, alas) on line 「相撲四十八手」 (Sumou shijūhatte) [Sumo Forty Eight Moves] with illustrations credited to 鰭崎英朋 Hirazaki Eiho. Seven of the illustrations from the book were displayed. I have added them to my page of kimarite illustrations by Eiho (the thumbnails link to large copies of the prints). Four were already referenced (hatakikomi, oshidashi, kotenage and uchimuso) and three were not represented (katasukashi, sokubiotoshi and tokkurinage (my personal favorite being fond of nihonshu)). I will attach the thumbnails of the book cover and the seven kimarite here. The link to my Eiho kimarite illustrations page is here: http://tommycrouch.com/sumo/eiho_kimarite.htm

Akinomaki has posted earlier about the ceremony where the 73rd yokozuna dotted the “j” and the “i” in his name on the Yokozuna Monument. I include a close up of the first Reiwa Era yokozuna's work (next to Kisenosato), a view of the completed top line and the complete back with space for the next 14 yokozuna. Since last I last visited the Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine in January 2020, Hakuho's 63 bout consecutive winning streak has been added to the pink marble pillar in front of and to the left of the Yokozuna Monument. I photographed Hakuho's addition on three different day with different light. All were a bit faint on Hakuho's details. I am including two three photo Photostitcher compositions (one Mercator and a stereographic projection). These distort the monument a bit but viewed at 100%, afford the best view of the finer engraving. I especially like the Mt. Fuji effect the Mercator projection achieves. The engraving: 六十三連勝 [sixty-three consecutive victories] 第六十九代横綱 [69th yokozuna] 白鵬翔 [Hakuho Sho] 平成二十二年一月場所 (横綱) 十四日目より [Heisei 22 January Basho (yokozuna) day 14 until] 平成二十二年十一月場所 (横綱) 初目まで [Heisei 22 November Basho (yokozuna) shonichi ending] Finally, since last at the Monzen-Nakacho religious site, 琴奨菊和弘　福岡 Kotoshogiku of Fukuoka and 豪栄道豪太郎　大阪 Goeido of Osaka have been added to the Ozeki Monument next to Kotooshu. Strangely, after three years, Rikidozan's name is still highlighted on the Sekiwake monument.

The esteemed Akinomaki posted about the Kitanoumi bronze statue in a separate 2017 post. I thought I would post to his Sumo Monuments and Statues discussion some pictures taken at 川崎大師平間寺 Kawasaki Daishi Heikenji Temple (dedicated not to ex-Maegashira 3 Daishi, but to the 8th-9th centuries monk, Kōbō Daishi). The temple was preparing for some matsuri and the food vendors already set up made finding the statue a bit of a chore. I especially like the shot of him standing before the temple's five-story octagonal pagoda. Or, is he eyeing some festival food in a nearby stall?

I thought Hiradoumi was recreating Kobayakawa Kiyoshi's 1932 woodblock print, "The Dancer".

A portrait of Oyanagi by Daimon Kinoshita.

Special club privileges if the final bout decides a yusho?