Page 464 - Edo: Art in Japan, 1615–1868

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Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819)
The Sumo Wrestlers Kajihama and
jinmaku

c. 1790
Color woodblock print
1
Approx. 38 x 26 (15 x lo U]
Tokyo National Museum
• Shunkô assumed Shunshô's respon-
sibilities for the management of the
Katsukawa atelier (then gave up print 463
design altogether when his right
arm became paralyzed), and Shun'ei
became the most sought-after
designer of sumo prints from about
1790 through the early years of the
nineteenth century. This young pupil
of Shunshó's arrived on the scene
just as sumo was undergoing another
resurgence in popularity, this time
fueled by excitement over the simul-
taneous promotion of Tanikaze and
Onogawa to the supreme sumo rank
of yokozuna (see also cat. 265).
Full-figure double portraits as seen
here follow a basic model perfected a
few years earlier by Shunsho. The
wrestlers' bodies are rendered nearly
identically; only the faces differ.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, the
wrestlers wear the ankle-length cere-
monial aprons (keslnómawashi) that
were donned for the grand entry
ceremony at the beginning of a sumo
tournament. Presented by wealthy
patrons, the aprons were often fash-
ioned from fine silk brocade and
decorated with bold patterns, such as
the waves or flower motifs seen here.
The aprons also usually bore the
name of the wrestler in large Chinese
characters. Here the wrestlers are
identified as Kajihama, on the right,
and Jinmaku. JTC

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