Hokusai

Art Exhibition: Edo in Focus

Andy Japanese Culture , , ,

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.

Kisenosato’s Yokozuna Gear Revealed

Bruce H Harubasho 2017 (Osaka), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Yokozuna (横綱) , ,

kisenosato-red-fuji

Majestic Red Fuji Theme

In a series of post-promotion dohyo-iri, Kisenosato and his retainers wore a borrowed set of Keshō-mawashi that were on loan from former Yokozuna Wakanohana. But since this ascension was announced, sumo fans wondered what his actual ceremonial garb would depict.

Now that wait is over, in a media event, Kisenosato unveiled the aprons that he, Takayasu and Shohozan will wear on the first day of the Haru basho. Calling out to the world known art of  Katsushika Hokusai, the three depict a scene of Mount Fuji in red, illuminated by the rising sun, with cranes overhead.

Very Japanese, very tasteful, very nice indeed. As with his sword, it became clear last year to a host of suppoters that it was only a matter of time before Kisenosato was promoted, and they began work months before the January yusho that secured his elevation.

Update: There was a nice report on NHK Thursday viewable here