Sumo cards ...

[Hoshifransu 0]

It seems in Japan, there are special cards for sumo wrestlers like there are in Europe or in the USA for Base-ball players, NFL players, Soccer players ...

With not only good pictures but stats, etc..

For example, in 2000, the official Musoyama's Sumo card could look like this :

Or like this, for other wrestlers :

Other goods like real sumo playing cards exist too in Japan !

But the most beautiful good to be sold (to me) is this :

... the Ebanzuke (Picture Ranking) (of Aki 2001, here)

Though I remain fan of their magnificient posters with the beautiful autographs of the wrestlers ... like this :

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

It seems in Japan, there are special cards for sumo wrestlers like there are in Europe or in the USA for Base-ball players, NFL players, Soccer players ...

Few years ago I went into a sports card shop here in Turku. The place wasn't big but I swear there must've been a card of every single ice-hockey player that ever has played in an official match.

I asked whether they had any sumo cards available and the shopkeeper (about 185/110 so he might and should have been interested in sumo by that fact alone) could have been blown down to the floor with a feather. Never in his darkest dreams had he imagined a day would come when someone came to his shop and asked about sumo cards. :-D

[Exil 301]

Given their selection, the only appropriate reaction would've been an indignant: "What kind of a trading card shop does not carry sumo cards??? :-@" :-)

Hmm, those sumo playing cards look a lot like the Italy '90 football playing cards. Same company, perhaps...

But this one's a real killer... I wants me one of these. :-Q

[Manekineko 200]

Wow, this proves my theory that rikishi make great fluffy toys. Musashimaru in particular... :)

And, hiya Exil!