The Sumo Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo of the Eastern Group, with an Attendant
c. 1782/86
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
39 × 26 cm (15 3/8 × 10 1/4 in.) (untrimmed)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
44264
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo Japan (modern-day Tokyo), Katsukawa Shunsho's *The Sumo Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo of the Eastern Group, with an Attendant* (c. 1782–86) captures the raw power and celebrity of sumo wrestling. This color woodblock print, an oban-sized sheet measuring about 39 × 26 cm, showcases Onogawa Kisaburo, a legendary yokozuna (grand champion) from the Eastern stable. Rendered with Shunsho's masterful realism, the wrestler stands imposingly nude save for a loincloth, muscles rippling under soft lighting, attended by a robed figure—highlighting the intimate camarade...