Ogata Gekkō – Sumō (相撲) – Gekkō Zuihitsu – Original Woodblock Print

Artist: Ogata Gekkō 尾形月耕 (1859–1920) Title: Sumō 相撲 (Sumō Match) Series: Gekkō Zuihitsu 月耕随筆 (Gekkō's Miscellany) Technique: Original Japanese woodblock print (nishiki-e) Date: Meiji 27 (1894) Publisher: Takekawa Risaburō 武川利三郎, Tokyo Format: Ōban tate-e; approx. 24*36 cm Signature: Gekkō, with red artist's seal CONDITION Excellent Colors and impression. The paper has minor soiling and an album backing. Please check the images! About the print Gekkō Zuihitsu is one of Ogata Gekkō's best-known series. The title borrows the term zuihitsu, the Japanese literary genre of loosely connected essays and observations that follow the writer's interest. The series works the same way: each sheet takes a different subject from history, legend, literature or everyday life. Each sheet is titled in a cartouche, and the series is published by Takekawa Risaburō. Gekkō was largely self-taught. He was influenced by painting traditions outside ukiyo-e, and his work from this period has a free, painterly brush line that sets it apart from the Utagawa school prints of the time. This sheet shows sumō wrestlers under falling cherry blossoms. A copy of the same design is in the Richard Lieben collection at the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) in Vienna. Sumō has deep roots in Japanese court and shrine ritual, going back to the sumai no sechie, the wrestling ceremonies held at the Heian imperial court. By the Meiji period it was also a popular professional sport, and prints of sumō subjects appealed to a wide audience.

Estimate:$168.01

View all items fromCatawikiorAncient Art