LITMIR.BIZ

      Sumō wrestlers Fudenoumi Kin'emon (left) and Nijigadake Somaemon (right), Katsukawa Shuncho (1726-92), woodblock print, ink and color on paper, ca. 1782-3, 15 x 10 inches.

       Frederick W. Gookin Collection,

       Art Institute of Chicago

      Mitate Gosho-ningyō: Sumō Wrestler

      Nomi no Sukune is considered the historical founder of sumō-tori (sumō wrestling). A potter from Izumo who possessed enormous strength, Sukune was invited by the Emperor Suinin (r. 31 BC-AD 70) in 22 BC to fight Taima no Kehaya from Nara. In a fierce combat not limited to grappling and throwing, Sukune defeated Kehaya and proceeded to trample him to death. Suinin, in recognition of his victory invited Sukune to court as an advisor.

      Sukune is purported to have played a significant role in ningyō history as well. Historic funerary practices had called for the interment of live individuals along with the deceased, arranged vertically in the ground in a hedge-like row around the tumulus—a horrific, not to mention expensive, practice.

      With the death of Suinin's brother, Yamato-hiko-no-mikoto, the Nihongi (compiled in 720) states that "thereupon his personal attendants were assembled and were buried alive upright... for several days they died not, but wailed day and night. At last they died and rotted. Dogs and crows gathered and ate them." Deeply disturbed by this, the Emperor Suinin sought advice from his council on how to rectify this problem, to establish a new method that would still appease the gods, but avoid the needless suffering.

      The Nihongi states that it was Nomi no Sukune, the potter from Izumo, who devised a solution. Calling down clay workers from Izumo, Sukune instructed them to "take clay and form therewith shapes of men, horses, and various objects which he presented to the emperor saying, 'Hence forward let it be the law for future ages to substitute things of clay for living men, and to set them up at tumuli.'" The emperor was reportedly delighted with the suggestion and implemented Sukunes plan. These clay figures, called haniwa (lit. "circle of clay"), replaced the human hedgerow (see page 9-10). Within the timeline of ningyō history, they are seen as some of the earliest of ningyō forms, clay human shapes (ningyō) acting as substitutes for actual humans.

      The popularity of sumō during the Edo period also led to a large output of sumō-related art. Paintings and woodblock prints of celebrated sumō athletes were sought after by aficionados of the sport. A wide variety of ningyō forms were also created during this time. Though somewhat later in date, a particularly interesting example is a pair of life-sized iki-ningyō (living dolls) made by the celebrated artist Yasumoto Kamehachi. The two combatants are shown in an intense grappling match, muscles flexed, eyes bulging. Created for an exhibition (misemono) in Tokyo in 1890, Kamehachi's creation presents what appears to be more of a life-and-death struggle than a ritualized sporting event. However, it was the gosho-ningyō, with its full-bodied corpulence, that proved to be the most natural medium for the depiction of sumō in ningyō form. Extant examples show a wide variety of treatments for this popular subject. Ningyō artists had a chance to place their figures in some dynamic compositions: wrestlers facing each other in the circular arena and the officiating figure all well depicted. The keishō mawashi aprons were an easy adaptation from the traditional haragake bibs.

      The delightful gosho image below is an exceptional example. It shows a well-fed wrestler resting on his knuckles, staring directly into the eyes of his opponent in the moment before they hurl themselves at each other. Though sumō wrestlers traditionally have worn their hair long and tied into a topknot, which is cut only upon retirement, the figure here is depicted with a child's side locks which are particularly bushy. The three-part division of the gosho is easily seen, with equal weight given to head, body, and legs. The modeling here, while in no way realistic, is very sensitive, showing creases in the arms and knees and well-delineated toes, ears, and clenched fists. Perhaps in order to convey an added level of intensity, the eyes are executed in an unusually open oval shape, and the pupils, rather than being flat, are slightly convex. Instead of the classic enigmatic smile, the mouth is in a compressed, tight-lipped expression unusual in gosho-ningyō. The bib is decorated on the front with a large embroidered design of a butterfly. The thick tie cords are knotted across the wrestlers back with the tassels partially covering his exposed flanks.

      Mitate gosho-ningyō: Sumo wrestler

       Edo period, 19th century

       Length 9 inches

       Carabet Collection

      Sumo wrestlers, iki-ningyō (living dolls), Yasumoto Kamehachi I (act. 1870), kiri wood, gofun, pigments, textiles, 1890, height 7 feet.

       Detroit Institute of the Arts

      Fuzokū Gosho-ningyō: Merchant, Nobleman, and Samurai

      Although gosho-ningyō had their origins as very exclusive gifts exchanged within the imperial household, as gifts to visiting daimyō, or as gifts of special recognition to members of the lower classes, such as entertainers or artists, they gradually became known to the larger population. Manufacturers outside the imperial ateliers, such as Izukura Kihei in Osaka, also began to make gosho-style ningyō. By the nineteenth century the range of gosho-ningyō had expanded dramatically, covering a seemingly infinite variety of subjects, and were well patronized by the three economically advantaged segments of traditional Japanese society: the nobility (huge), the samurai (buke), and the merchant class (chōnin).

      Fuzokū is a term that refers to prevailing manners and customs and is often used to describe ishō-ningyō and other ningyō forms that emphasize costume and dress. The unusual set of gosho at right shows these three classes clothed in typical fashions of the late Edo period. The standing noble figure is dressed in a green silk gauze kariginu. The

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