Sumo Spectators 1853

Editor: This is "Sumo Spectators," a woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada from 1853. It really gives a sense of the sheer size and energy of the crowd. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: What I find compelling is the commodification of this cultural event and the way that is manifested in the printmaking process. Think about the labor involved in producing these prints en masse. It’s not just Kunisada, the named artist, but also the block cutters and printers whose skills were essential to the final product. Editor: So, the materiality of the woodblock and the production line it represents is significant? Curator: Absolutely. The very act of creating and distributing these prints transformed sumo from a sporting event into a consumable commodity, almost like merchandise nowadays. Notice the composition too, the vertical format lends itself well to depicting the multiple tiers of spectators. Editor: It is quite amazing, how much detail they could get in the figures even given those constraints of mass production. What do you think the effect on viewers was? Curator: By circulating images of sumo matches through these prints, Kunisada and the artisans in his workshop democratized access to this spectacle. What had once been exclusively for the higher social strata becomes available for popular consumption. It also created an awareness that influenced many people’s fashion choices. Editor: So, this artwork makes me think more about the relationship between culture, craft, and commerce in Edo period Japan. Curator: Precisely! Examining the means of production, distribution, and consumption reveals how deeply intertwined art was with the socio-economic fabric of the time.