Photo-tour of Ryogoku

[Manekineko]

So, after visiting Tomioka Hachimangu, I had time on my hands and hopped on subway to Ryogoku. Nishinoshima already shared this sculpture in Ryogoku station with the Forum, but it's so cool it bears repeating.

Description:

Floor tile at the station:

Kokugikan as borrowed scenery:

Kokugikan.

(zoom at the roof, if you're wondering)

In Sumo museum they had an exhibition on most-win-streakers - and I just came from photographing their monument! The best part of the exhibition was a 20 minute video showing the bouts of streakers, including the one that ended the streak. Not only were the bouts spectacular, the atmosphere and experience of previous Kokugikans was great! About Taiho's time the feeling starts to be modern... Does NSK sell DVDs with these special programs? They'd be worth their price. Other memorable bits: Chiyonofuji's VICTORY kesho-mawashi set, with a couple of stylized wolf heads and VXIII in roman numerals on it (supposed to stand for 53 rensho wins). While I was watching the video, a granny took photos of the kesho set with impunity, which really irked me for a moment. The descriptions also mentioned that Chiyonofuji is the only man in sumo with over 1000 career wins! Doitsubase confirms. (Oshio? Wow.)

Another wow exhibit - Senshin (pure heart) calligraphy by Chiynofuji, with signed tegata of Taiho, Kitanoumi, Takanohana and Chiyonofuji himself. All dai-yokozuna... my inner collector drooled, and I was truly moved.

A plea to Tokyo locals - please, write regular short reports of exhibitions in Sumo museum for us who are or soon will be too far to visit. If only to make us drool...

Edited August 5, 2008 by Manekineko
link

[Manekineko]

The main street leading to/from Kokugikan is lined by small yokozuna statuettes with tegata casts on their pedestals.

(coins stuck in the tsuna, heh)

One local shop has great (old) photos of sumotori participating in festivals and batting baseball in its windows. Any ID is appreciated. Apologies for reflections from the glass...

Edit: Now IDd, thanks to Orion.

Mienoumi's yokozuna promotion

Kitanofuji

Asashio yokozuna promotion

Edited August 12, 2008 by Manekineko
IDs

[Manekineko]

And finally, not really sumo related, a great mural livening the concrete support of railway tracks. It starts almost imperceptibly...

(a connection to sumo - this is Ryogoku, after all)

Thank you for looking.

[Fay]

Thank you very much for the pics !

I always wanted to make pics of the last part by myself, but always forgot. If you have them in a bigger size I would be glad I could get them :-D.

[ilovesumo]

Oh yeah, the wall and the bike-grave yard... :-D

I miss it...

Thanks for bringing back the memories.

[Naganoyama]

Thank you very much. You really give us a great feeling for this wonderful place - what a great place to be!

[Kaiomitsuki]

Yokozuna Asashio

Yokozuna Kitanofuji :-D ?

(he was a good baseball player !)

Yokozuna Kitanoumi (I am not worthy...) ?

Edited August 5, 2008 by Kaiomitsuki

[Chiyomaru]

Great pics! :-)

[Orion]

Can't figure out how to "quote" individual photos, but two of the three yokozuna pics from the window of what is now a souvenir shop (it used to be a fruit shop and then sold sumo manju cakes) show Asashio and Mienoumi celebrating yokozuna promotion by being carried around the streets on a mikoshi by their own heya's deshi. (They don't do it like that now; I think Mienoumi may have been the last.) Kitanofui playing baseball is, well, Kitanofuji.

Non-sumo: the 'trompe l'oeil' (deceive the eye) paintings on the southern embankment of Ryogoku station are the work of Mr. Kazumune Kenju, who did a lot of such work in the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in the JAIB Museum in an old warehouse out in Shinozaki, to the east of Ryogoku. I can't find it now. An article about the museum was published in 1992, and it mentions the long embankment picture series as having been painted several years earlier.

[Kintamayama]

Assuming this is not a flipped picture, what is wrong with it?

[Manekineko]

Can't figure out how to "quote" individual photos [...]

Thank you. (I am not worthy...)

Non-sumo: the 'trompe l'oeil' (deceive the eye) paintings on the southern embankment of Ryogoku station are the work of Mr. Kazumune Kenju, who did a lot of such work in the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in the JAIB Museum in an old warehouse out in Shinozaki, to the east of Ryogoku. I can't find it now. An article about the museum was published in 1992, and it mentions the long embankment picture series as having been painted several years earlier.

And many thanks for this information, too. I loved the pace of the mural, starting so slowly and gradually, and then exploding into that sea view. And just when you start wondering and explaining to yourself why he doesn't paint anyone "en face", that smiling boy comes. Wow.

[Mikiro]

Thank you so much for the time you took on the pictures, just splendid.

[Amanogawa]

Yokozuna Kitanoumi (Sigh...) ?

I think this is Mienoumi.

All these great pictures are really making me want to get a new digi cam... and drive up to Higashidori for Summer jungyo there on the 11th ! Thanks so much Manekineko (Jumping in ecstasy...)

Edited August 8, 2008 by Amanogawa

[Orion]

Very nice photos! I wish I could afford to visit Japan again. The photo in the above post does look like Mienoumi....

Kishinoyama

It is indeed Mienoumi and I already said so on August 6. I was around when the photo was taken and I knew nearly all the men in the photo (anyone recognise Onishiki?)

Orion aka Doreen Simmons

[Doitsuyama]

Assuming this is not a flipped picture, what is wrong with it?

Well, if the picture as we see it is not flipped everything is fine actually because there are very few left handed catchers around, probaby in Japan too.

[Kintamayama]

Well, if the picture as we see it is not flipped everything is fine actually because there are very few left handed catchers around, probaby in Japan too.

OK, so we have established that the photo isn't flipped. So what is wrong in it?

[Asojima]

OK, so we have established that the photo isn't flipped. So what is wrong in it?

The objects (bicycle, etc.) that are being reflected in the window are flipped.

[Sakana]

Those pictures bring back some memories. :-P ;-)