For those of you in Tokyo, I know you’re just so bored and looking for things to do. After all, there’s not a sumo tournament for another few weeks yet. I’d like to point you in the direction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. They are hosting an exhibition of scores of famous art works from luminaries such as Hokusai and Hiroshige. You will undoubtedly recognize some of the works in the collage above. For the full flier, click here.
The works come from the massive Japanese art collection of the British Museum.
Why am I pointing out this exhibition? Art museums have nothing to do with sumo, right? Well, there is at least one work in the exhibit which does. This scroll by Kawamura Bunpo (a small part of which is visible in the image on the right) is a part of the exhibition and features the scene of a sumo tournament in Kyoto.
The work dates to around 1800 and is entitled, Kamogawa bugi zukan (鴨川武戯図巻), or the “Illustrated Handscroll of Warrior Games (Sumo) at the Kamo River.” So, that settles it. The exhibition is sumo related! Who needs a silly, mass-produced and overhyped wave when you’ve got this masterpiece?
Catch it from now until October 18th in Tokyo at the Metropolitan Art Museum. If you miss it there, you’re not out of luck. The exhibition will just pack up and move to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka, starting on Halloween (10/31/2026) and running through 1/31/2027.
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That’s an amusing looking picture from the scroll! Thanks.
My random sumo interaction of the week came when I took my car in to get the oil changed and saw a poster on the wall for Akebono brakes. I ended up showing pictures of Akebono to the (older, Chinese) guys behind the counter, who were somewhat interested.