Artist: After Utagawa Kuniteru II [歌川国輝] (Japanese, 1830 – 1876), possibly by Gyokuei [玉英]
Publisher: No seal
Date: No date; the original Kuniteru's print dated Meiji 2 (1869)
Media: Woodblock colour print, chūban uchiwa-e (fan print), 230 x 245 mm
This fan print reproduces, in miniature, Kuniteru’s 1869 triptych commemorating a sumo fundraising event at Sensō-ji Temple (浅草寺, Sensō-ji, also known as 金龍山, Kinryūzan) in Asakusa (浅草, Asakusa). The scene is framed as a hanging votive painting (ema, 絵馬) bordered in red and gold. Centred is the yokozuna Jinmaku Kyūgorō (陣幕久五郎, Jinmaku Kyūgorō) performing the shiko (四股) leg-stomping pose, flanked by two other wrestlers.
Seated at left is gyoji (行司) Kimura Shōnosuke (木村庄之助, Kimura Shōnosuke) with his war fan, and at right are Shachi-no-umi Umekichi (鯱ノ海梅吉, Shachi-no-umi Umekichi) holding a sword, and stablemasters Aioi Matsugorō (相生松五郎, Aioi Matsugorō) and Tamagaki (玉垣, Tamagaki). Also present is the gunbai-holding referee, Shikimori Inosuke (式守伊之助, Shikimori Inosuke).
The background represents a stylized sumo danpatsu-shiki (断髪式) setting. This uchiwa-e version may have been distributed as a commemorative gift to donors who supported the temple.
Additional Information
| Collection | Fan print (Uchiwa-e) [団扇絵] , Japanese prints and drawings |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Fan , Woodblock print |
| Period | 19 AD , Late 19th century , Meiji era [明治] (1868–1912) |
| Country | Japan |
| Media/Technique | Ink and color on paper , Woodblock print (nishiki-e) |
| Size | Chuban uchiwa-e , Fan print. Uchiwa-e |
| Subject | Fan , Fan print , Fish , Sumo wrestlers , Uchiwa-e |
| Creation / Publishing year | 1870s |
| Acquisition year | 2025 |
