Sumo Wrestlers of the Western Group: (right) Kashiwado Kandayu from Edo, (left) and Inagawa Masaemon from Osaka
c. 1784
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
39 × 25.7 cm (15 3/8 × 10 1/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
44261
Art Historical Context
Katsukawa Shunshō (1726–1792), a figure in the Katsukawa school of uki-e woodblock printing, captures the raw power and rivalry of sumo in this vibrant oban-sized color woodblock print from around 1784. Titled *Sumo Wrestlers of Western Group: (right) Kashiwado Kandayū from Edo, (left) Inagawa Masaemon from Osaka*, it portrays two formidable wrestlers from rival regions—Edo (modern Tokyo) and Osaka—poised in dynamic stances, their muscular forms rendered with striking realism and intensity. Shunshō's mastery of portraiture shines here, blending the theatrical flair of kabuki actor prints with ...