Sumo Wrestler Tagonoura Tsurukichi by Utagawa Kunisada II

Sumo Wrestler Tagonoura Tsurukichi Possibly 1866

print, ink, color-on-paper

childish illustration

cartoon like

cartoon based

print

caricature

japan

ink

color-on-paper

illustrative and welcoming imagery

illustrative and welcoming

cartoon style

cartoon carciture

cartoon theme

clip art

This ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kunisada II, possibly dating back to 1866, depicts Sumo wrestler Tagonoura Tsurukichi. The wrestler is shown in the ring wearing a red and white mawashi, a traditional loincloth worn by Sumo wrestlers, with three white circles and red diamonds. The wrestler’s posture is relaxed, and his expression is stern, suggesting confidence and strength. The print is a vertical chūban, a common format for ukiyo-e prints, and is part of the Minneapolis Institute of Art's collection.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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The wrestler Tagonoura Tsurukichi (1829–1900) was 37 years old when he appeared in this tournament in the third month of 1866. Tsurukichi had come to Edo from the southern island of Kyushu and at that time had been a wrestler for six years. This tournament was the last one in which he fought under the name Tsurukichi; he then changed it to Kazō, which he used until his retirement five years later. Wrestlers, like kabuki actors, would change their name to indicate that they had reached a new point in their professional life.