Katsukawa Shunei: Sumo Wrestlers Raiden and O-omisaki 雷電　大岬

Artist: Katsukawa Shun'ei (ca. 1782-1819) Title: Sumo Wrestlers Raiden and O-omisaki 雷電　大岬 Date: ca. 1790s The sumo wrestlers Raiden of West side and O-omisaki of East side on a dohyo-o sumo ring. Raiden tries to turn the upper part of his opponent’s body as they wrestle. They wear binzuke hair styles and mawashi decorated loincloths. At the back a striped decorative curtain hangs down from the roof over the ring.   Raiden (meaning thunderbolt) Taneemon (1767-1825) (who faces us) was 197 cm/6 ft 5 inches tall and weighed 169 kg/373 lbs. In March 1795 he was promoted to the rank of O-ozeki of the West after Tanikaze’s death and kept this rank for 17 years. Between November 1793 and April of 1800 he finished with the best record in every tournament that he entered. With this result, he finished ahead of Tanikaze and Onogawa. Although the highest rank, Yokozuna, came to exist in 1791 when Shogun Tokugawa Ienari attended the tournament between Tanikaze II Kajinosuke and Onogawa Kisaburoo,