Portrait of the Sumo Wrestler Ikezuki Geitazaemon
Medium
Color woodblock print
Dimensions
36 × 23.2 cm (14 3/16 × 9 1/8 in.)
Classification
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23777
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 19th-century Japan, Utagawa Kunisada I (also known as Toyokuni, 1786–1865) captured the larger-than-life charisma of sumo wrestler Ikezuki Geitazaemon in this striking color woodblock print from around 1845. A master of the ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world"—isada specialized in dynamic portraits of kabuki actors, courtesans, and cultural icons like sumo champions. This intimate vertical ōban print (36 × 23.2 cm) showcases the wrestler's powerful physique and intense gaze, rendered with bold lines and vivid colors that evoke the thrill of the dohyō ring....
About the Artist
Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III) · 1786–1864
Utagawa Kunisada I, also known as Toyokuni III (1786–1865), was born Sumida Shōgorō in the Honjo district of Edo (modern Tokyo) into a family that operated a hereditary ferry-boat service, providing stability after his father's early death. Displaying prodigious talent in drawing from childhood, he became an apprentice to the master Utagawa Toyokuni I around 1801 at age fifteen, entering the prest...