Colorizing old sumo photographs

[Terukuni 105]

Hello All,

It had certainly been a while since I posted on this forum, but I recently discovered an online colorizer that would enable me to take any image, including older sumo images, and colorize them. I tried it out with several photos, but I think the ones below turned out the best. It really gives these photos more life.

The famous photo of 5 yokozuna in 1954 (Azumafuji (middle) had just retired and Tochinishiki (far left) had just succeeded in his rope run)

A photo of the 38th Yokozuna Terukuni

Futabayama's final dohyo iri at his retirement ceremony. He is attended by Haguroyama at left and Terukuni at right

A seemingly interested Haguroyama (with a bandage of some sort on his chin) looks at a photographer during a jungyo. 

Chiyonoyama looks anxious while his tsukebito help him with the tsuna

The 38th Yokozuna Tamanishiki poses with some civilians

A very happy Tamanoumi and Kitanofuji show off their Zensho-Yushogaku's to the public

 

I'll try to post more later when I have more time, but this was very interesting and I hope you guys like it!

Edited July 1, 2021 by Terukuni
Broken Photo Links

[Naganoyama 5,696]

I don't see any pictures here, just strings of letters and numbers.

[Asojima 2,848]

19 minutes ago, Naganoyama said:

I don't see any pictures here, just strings of letters and numbers.

No problem here.  Using Win 10 and Edge.

Edit:  I am getting junk using Chrome  and Firefox.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Asojima

[ArvidMan 3]

2 hours ago, Naganoyama said:

I don't see any pictures here, just strings of letters and numbers.

Same here... 

[Yamanashi 3,360]

Last night, I saw several neat pictures.  This morning, just code.

[Tochinofuji 307]

34 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

Last night, I saw several neat pictures.  This morning, just code.

Same on my end as well. 

[Asojima 2,848]

8 hours ago, Asojima said:

No problem here.  Using Win 10 and Edge.

Edit:  I am getting junk using Chrome  and Firefox.

For me, Edge is now gone too.

[Seiyashi 3,912]

I'm just seeing a white bar across a grey circle.

[Kamitsuumi 347]

Those are temporary links for Google Photos (or some related service). You might have to reupload them somewhere else to share a permanent link.

[Tigerboy1966 1,220]

14 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

I'm just seeing a white bar across a grey circle.

Same here.

[sahaven111 163]

14 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

I'm just seeing a white bar across a grey circle.

That's what i'm seeing

11 hours ago, Kamitsuumi said:

Those are temporary links for Google Photos (or some related service). You might have to reupload them somewhere else to share a permanent link.

and yes, i agree with this, i'm sure there are plenty here that would love to see such pictures!

[Terukuni 105]

My apologies, I will try to upload all of the photos to another service (Flickr).

[Terukuni 105]

They should all be working now

[Seiyashi 3,912]

On 30/06/2021 at 10:53, Terukuni said:

A very happy Tamanoumi and Kitanofuji show off their Zensho-Yushogaku's to the public

On looking up the records, if the yushogaku are presented just before each Tokyo basho, then this picture would have been Tamanoumi's last basho (Aki 1971).

For those not familiar, Tamanoumi died of complications following a too-delayed appendicitis surgery. While Kitanofuji won both Aki and Kyushu 1971, his performance after that was notably affected by his friend and rival's death, with many partial kyujos.

Edited July 1, 2021 by Seiyashi

[hakutorizakura 525]

More! More! 

[Tigerboy1966 1,220]

On 30/06/2021 at 03:53, Terukuni said:

The famous photo of 5 yokozuna in 1954 (Azumafuji (middle) had just retired and Tochinishiki (far left) had just succeeded in his rope run)

Does anyone have any information on the additional adornments being sported by Chiyonoyama and Yoshibayama. Yoshi looks like he's wearing an enormous medal, while Chiyo has some kind of miniature breastplate.

[Terukuni 105]

This time, I took a minor dive into the 1960s era of sumo, headlined with the two words "GREAT PHEONIX" in all capital letters.

First, several photos of the great duo together in all yokozuna glory:

 

"Yes, young one. I am the man they call Taiho."

Now for some Kashiwado pictures:

Bowing out at his danpatsushiki in 1970

The great one doing what he did best

 

"Wow, that was one fine ketaguri, I surely have the yusho now!"

 

Now for some of the more overshadowed rikishi:

Tochinoumi's dohyo-iri

"No Tochinoumi, it's this way. If you keep on doing it like that you'll miss the clap altogether!"

 

With the coveted Emperor's cup

 

Sadanoyama pictures!

First dohyo-iri at the shrine

The former Tochinishiki instructing him

\

 

That's all for now! I hope you all enjoy and I will be back with more next week.

[sumojoann 1,226]

These are fantastic pictures!!  You did such a great job!  I am looking forward to next week.

[Chiyotasuke 209]

Reply to Tigerboy1966:

In this thread, Nishinoshima said it was a yusho prize for a non-honbasho tournament. The pic of Yoshibayama is long gone and it's from 1956, but the description matches that from the 1954 pic above.

 

Edited August 31, 2021 by Chiyotasuke

[Yamanashi 3,360]

Some random observations:

1) Most of these guys don't look "fat"

2) They look a lot more "working class" than today's Makuuchi.

3) In almost all photos they are clearly taller than "ordinary" citizens.

4) Tochinoumi's face reminds me of Harumafuji!

5) Taiho seems so unassuming and approachable.

[Washuyama 610]

 

Just for gee-whiz, that's Aobajo behind Taiho's left elbow.  

Edited September 1, 2021 by Washuyama
Added dB link

[Yamanashi 3,360]

48 minutes ago, Washuyama said:

Just for gee-whiz, that's Aobajo behind Taiho's left elbow.  

Who is the guy dressed like Django Reinhart?  Is he an Oyakata?

[Washuyama 610]

3 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

Who is the guy dressed like Django Reinhart?  Is he an Oyakata?

I don't know, but he does look familiar for some reason.

[Akinomaki 37,453]

1 hour ago, Yamanashi said:

Who is the guy dressed like Django Reinhart?  Is he an Oyakata?

One of the famous manga artists, but I don't know who exactly, one of the two F.F.Fujio maybe

[Yamanashi 3,360]

3 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

One of the famous manga artists, but I don't know who exactly, one of the two F.F.Fujio maybe

It does look a lot like Fujiko F. Fujio (with the trademark beret).  The problem is that he was born in 1933.  If that picture is taken while Taiho was active, it couldn't be later than 1971, when Fujio was 38, too young to be the fellow in the photo.