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Larger Than Life Heroes: Prints of Sumo Wrestling from the Donn F. Draeger Collection
Special Exhibition
February 21–August 29, 2004
SAAM Tateuchi Galleries


Sumo originally flourished in Kyoto and Osaka. However, after the devastating fire in Edo (Tokyo at present) in the seventeenth century, it was used as a fundraising tactic to restore lost temples, gradually leading to its wide-scale popularity and the standardized features we see today.

“Sumo-prints” are wood-block prints of sumo wrestlers and wrestling, a genre that originated in the Edo period (1615–1868). Sumo prints surfaced in the late eighteenth century. Kunisada, later known as Toyokuni III of the Utagawa school, is known as the most prolific artist working in the sumo-e tradition. He was active during the first half of the nineteenth century during the sport’s resurgence in popularity. His compositions allow viewers to feel the excitement of the crowd during the Edo period. Works of print-masters Kuniteru and Kuniaki are also on display in the gallery.

Donn F. Draeger (1922-1982) collected over 700 works of sumo-prints while spending nearly half of his life in Japan. He is the most well-known martial artist in terms of research, practice, teaching and writing, authoring more than thirty books on martial arts. This exhibition is made possible by generous support from local collector Phil Relnick, who was a colleague of Draeger and succeeded his unparalleled collection. Because of conservation concerns, all prints will be changed over partway through the exhibit.

Katsukawa Shunsyo, 1726-1792
Two sumo-wrestlers: Tsurugataki and Kajigahama
Late 1780s-92
Multicolored woodblock print on paper
15 1/4 x 10 in.
Donn F. Draeger Collection

 
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