Sumo Wrestling
19th century
Medium
Matted painting; ink on paper
Dimensions
14 3/8 x 29 5/16 in. (36.5 x 74.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1960
Accession Number
60.129
Tags
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Kuniteru'sSumo Wrestling*, a 19th-century ink on paper from Japan's Edo period (161–1868), vividly captures the raw power and ritual drama of sumo matches. Measuring 14 3/8 x 29 5/16 inches, this matted work belongs to the Utagawa school, renowned for ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") art that celebrated everyday spectacles like theater, festivals, and sports. Kuniteru, active in the mid-1800s, skillfully rendered muscular wrestlers in dynamic poses, emphasizing their physical prowess amid the dohyo ring. Sumo held immense cultural significance in Edo Japan, evolving from Shi...