How Sumo is Staged — Sumo—Japanese Wrestling — Takase Studios

Fine Japanese Calligraphy

The Art of Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase

II. HOW SUMO IS STAGED

Photograph looking down into a very crowded hall. A square pale platform with two small figures on it stands at the center under a large roof with a patterned fringe along its eaves, with white flower-shaped marks on the fringe. A post with a vertical strip of writing stands at the front of the platform. A large flag with one dark disc hangs from the ceiling above, and a banner of Japanese characters runs along the gallery railing behind the roof. Spectators fill the galleries and the floor, and the dark heads and hats of the crowd fill the foreground. — Tōkyō Tournament at its height

Photograph of a close crowd seen at floor level. In the left foreground a bare-chested man in a dark belt sits with his knees drawn up and his hands hanging in front of them, looking up and to the right. Behind him a large heavy man with bare shoulders sits with his arms folded, and behind and beside them men in dark suits and ties and in dark robes sit in a row. A large pale rounded surface fills the right edge, and a thick dark post stands at the upper right. — Waiting-place for wrestlers at ring-side

Photograph of a large gabled roof hanging in a hall, seen from below and a little to the side. Short round-ended beams stick out along its top ridge. Under the gable at the left, a wooden frame holds pale panels. A valance of zigzag-patterned cloth hangs from the eaves, with dark swags marked with white flower shapes under it. Behind the roof a dark wall carries several framed pictures, and a pale triangular flag hangs at the top. Hazy bright glare spreads across the right side. — The roof (yagata), supported by four columns, covers the ring

Photograph looking across a low platform from rows of seated people in dark clothes in the foreground. A thick pale column rises at the center right to a canopy of draped, gathered curtains with a zigzag edge across the top. On the platform several figures in pale robes stand or kneel, two at the left and one at the right of the column, with a small table between them holding pale shapes. Rows of benches and dark seated spectators fill the hall behind, and an irregular pale shape lies at the lower right. — “Ring Rite”

Tall narrow photograph of a heavy man standing facing the camera, bare to the waist, with a topknot. He wears a dark belt with a skirt of hanging strands from it, a wrapping around his left knee, and his arms hang at his sides. Behind him are a pale post and pieces of curtain with pale scalloped edges. A dark rounded shape fills the bottom edge of the picture below his feet. — Wrestlers wear peculiar loin-cloths

Photograph of a heavy, bare-chested man balancing on one foot on a raised flat platform. He is bent far forward with his head down at the left, his arm bent in front of him, and his other leg lifted out behind him to the right. A dark belt with hanging strands is at his waist. A bundle of folded white paper strips stands upright above his head. Behind him is a dark hall with lit windows and spectators, and dark heads fill the lower left and lower right corners. — “Warming-up” — a wrestler stamping in his corner of the ring

Photograph of two heavy bare-chested men in dark belts beside a thick pale post tied with rope. At the left one crouches on a raised surface with his arm stretched toward the post. At the right the other stands facing left, holding a folded sheet in one hand. Spectators fill the background, and dark heads and shoulders fill the lower left and bottom. — He rinses his mouth before the bout

Photograph of a bare-chested man in a dark belt and striped trousers standing and holding a small pale sheet up to his mouth. A tall pale post tied with rope stands at the right, with a small wooden box at its foot. Behind him is a hall full of spectators. In the foreground several men in dark jackets are seen from behind, and a man in a striped robe is at the left edge. — Then, he wipes his mouth and body with a piece of paper

Photograph of a heavy man seen from behind on a raised flat platform, one arm stretched out to the right, with a wide arc of small white specks in the air beside his hand. His weight is on one foot, the heel of the other lifted. A dark belt with hanging strands is at his waist, and a topknot shows on his head. At the upper left a bundle of folded white paper strips stands on a small cross-shaped stand. Spectators sit in the dark behind, and the dark head and shoulders of a man fill the lower right foreground. — Ring purified with salt

Photograph taken from behind a heavy man who squats low on a flat platform with his knees wide apart and both arms stretched out wide, palms open, his bare back to the camera and a dark belt at his waist. Farther away, a second heavy man squats facing him with his arms held out to the sides in the same way. A dense crowd fills the tiers behind them. — A form of courtesy (tiri-tyōzu) between opponents

Photograph of two heavy bare men in dark belts at the center of a platform. The man at the left stands on one leg with the other leg lifted straight out to the right. The man at the right bends forward over his own planted leg, his arms bent in front of him. At the left a man in a long dark patterned robe and a black cap stands with his hands at his waist, and a pale column rises behind. A man in pale clothes bends low at the far right. Crowds fill the hall behind, and a long banner of Japanese characters runs along the gallery. — Contestants again stamp their feet in the center of the ring

Photograph of two heavy, bare-chested men squatting on their heels at the left and right of a flat platform, each with his hands near his knees and his face toward the other. Between them a man seen from behind stands in a long dark robe marked with large round crests and a tall black cap, with his hands at his hips. A pale post stands at the upper left, spectators fill the background, and the dark heads of two men fill the lower foreground. — Tension grows before the opponents get ready for the bout

Photograph of two heavy men crouched facing each other on a platform, each leaning forward with his fists on the floor, the one at the left on both fists with his head level, the one at the right bent over lower. Between and behind them stands a man in a pale patterned robe and black cap, one hand holding a slim object raised at his side. A dense crowd fills the background, and the dark heads of two spectators show at the bottom. — Sikiri, or “get-set.” They are seeking the moment for the “go”

Photograph of five men posed close together. At the left stands a man with round dark glasses in a rumpled suit and a patterned tie. Beside him a man with curly hair, in a suit with a flower pinned to the lapel, has an arm over the first man's shoulder. Behind them a third man with glasses looks over their shoulders. At the right stands a very large, bare-chested man with his hand on his hip, wearing a dark belt with hanging strands. At the bottom center a man in a dark suit and tie sits low and looks up at the group. A pale wall is behind them. — Jean Cocteau, French poet, (in the center) visiting a hero of the ring

Close photograph of two men seated side by side. At the left a young man in a robe patterned with short dark dashes, with his hair swept back, looks to one side, one hand open in front of him at the lower edge. Next to him an older man with pale hair, in a dark jacket, white collar and dark tie, looks off in the same direction, one hand resting on the top of a dark paneled rail in front of them. Other people are only partly seen in the dark at the right. — Charlie Chaplin is also a keen Sumō fan

Photograph, blurred by motion, of two heavy bare men rushing at each other from the left and right with their arms stretched toward each other, each with a dark belt. Between and behind them a man in a pale patterned robe crouches low near the floor. A string of small white lights runs across the dark background in two rows. — Off they go!

Photograph of two heavy men gripping each other at the center of a platform. One stands behind the other with his head up and a hand at the other man's belt at the middle of his back, while the nearer man, seen from behind with his legs spread wide and a dark belt showing, is bent forward. A row of spectators sits behind the edge of the platform. — Wrestler trying to force his opponent out of the ring
(see page 65, “yori-taosi”)

Photograph of two heavy bare men at the center of a platform. The man at the right leans in with an arm stretched against the other's chest and his near leg lifted, bent at the knee. The man at the left leans back with his mouth open and his face tense. At the left a man in a patterned robe and dark cap crouches, bent forward, holding a flat rounded object. Spectators fill the hall behind. — A fine trick (see page 71, “kiri-kaesi”)

Tall photograph of a man standing alone on a pale flat platform, holding an open folding fan in front of his lower face. He wears a pale loose robe over dark wide trousers and dark footwear. A draped curtain with a hanging tassel fills the top, tiers of spectators fill the background, and a dark blurred head fills the lower right corner. — Caller announces the names of contestants for next bout

Photograph of a platform with two heavy men crouched facing each other at the center right, the one at the left with his head up and a hand on the floor, the other bent over with his back to the camera. At the left stands a man in a long robe with a large pale flower pattern and a black cap, with a white sash at his waist. A pale post stands at the upper right, and a crowd fills the hall behind. — Umpire, in traditional costume, presides over the ring

Photograph across the edge of a raised platform. A man in a dark robe sits at the center behind the edge, with a man in a white jacket standing behind him at the left. A bare-chested man sits in front of him at the right and stretches one arm out toward the seated man. A second bare-shouldered man is at the far right beside a thick post tied with rope. In the foreground the dark heads of men and a man in a white jacket look toward the platform, and a crowd fills the hall behind. — Wrestler “on deck” lodging a protest

Photograph of several men in long dark coats with a round pale crest on each coat, standing close together at the left of a platform with their heads bent toward one another. In the foreground a man in pale clothes crouches, and a bare-shouldered man kneels at the lower right. Tiers of spectators fill the hall behind, a banner of Japanese characters runs across the top, and a thick post with a spiral of white streamer stands at the upper right. — Inspectors in conference over an undecisive match

Photograph across the edge of a platform. At the left a bare-chested man in a dark belt leans forward with his arms out toward a man who stands at the right in a long robe with a large pale flower pattern. Behind them another man with a topknot looks on. Rows of spectators fill the background. In the foreground the dark head and shoulders of a man are at the left, and a head in a pointed black cap is at the lower right. — Having rested a while, they are put back into their respective positions and holds

Photograph indoors of two heavy men locked in a close hold at the center, each with his arms around the other and a long pale cloth hanging down between them from the belt. Four slimmer bare-chested men in dark briefs stand against a wooden board wall behind, two at the left and two at the right, watching. A paneled sliding door is at the right and a rope hangs on the wall. The floor is dark and bare. — Training in wrestling

Photograph of two heavy men overlapping in a tangle at the center of a platform. The hips and thighs of one fill the middle, with one foot planted on the floor at the bottom. The legs of the other stretch up at the top and out to the right with the feet in the air, and an arm and a head are bent over at the left. A row of spectators in dark suits watches from behind the platform. — The moment when the game is decided
(see page 64, “tottari”)