Daimon Kinoshita - 国技館茶屋風景 (Sumo "Tea Houses")

A fabulous woodblock print by Daimon Kinoshita: 国技館茶屋風景 (Sumo “Tea Houses”). This view looks down the long interior corridor of the 国技館 (Kokugikan), lined with red lanterns, benches, and the traditional 茶屋 (chaya) booths that have long formed part of the sumo-going experience. Attendants and visitors move through the passage in yukata and everyday dress, while Kinoshita uses the strong perspective of the architecture to draw the eye deep into the scene. A wonderful subject, recording not the wrestlers themselves, but the wider world and atmosphere surrounding a day at the sumo. 🏮🍵

• Year & Edition: c.1990s · Published by 京都版画院 (Kyoto Hanga-In). Carved by 木島重男 ( Kishima Shigeo). Printed by 栃木義郎 (Tochigi Yoshiro). Margin inscriptions include “不許按製” (rights), 財団法人 日本相撲協会 (Japan Sumo Association), and copyright seals, with Kinoshita’s “Daimon” and edition seals below.
  
• Medium: Woodblock.
• Dimensions: Sheet W: 27.00 cm × H: 41.00 cm.
• Condition: Wonderfully stored; strong, beautiful colours, paper crisp & intact.
• Notes: The title refers to the 茶屋 (chaya), the traditional teahouses or service booths associated with the Kokugikan, where spectators were historically looked after during tournaments. These establishments formed part of the social fabric of sumo culture, handling seating, refreshments, and hospitality. Kinoshita’s focus on this corridor offers a less commonly depicted side of the sumo world, centred on the rituals, architecture, and everyday movement surrounding the tournament rather than the bout itself. Daimon Kinoshita comments on his website (www.daimon-e.sakura.ne.jp): 「お茶屋さんの通路を力士が歩く事はあまりないのですが、絵になるので登場してもらいました。」(Sumo wrestlers do not often walk through the passageways of the teahouses, but because it makes a good picture, I had them appear here.).

About the Artist

Born in Hokkaidō in 1946, Daimon Kinoshita is Japan’s foremost contemporary artist of sumo nishiki-e (錦絵). Since 1985 he has worked closely with the Japan Sumo Association, using authentic Edo-period ukiyo-e techniques and the traditional hanmoto system of artist, carver, and printer. His woodblock prints bring Yokozuna, Ōzeki, and rikishi to life in bold ceremonial portraits, often depicting the dohyō-iri (土俵入り) ring-entrance with mica (kirazuri) details that echo Edo traditions. Sold at the Kokugikan arena and presented to visiting dignitaries, Kinoshita’s works combine beauty, craft, and cultural significance, keeping the art of nishiki-e alive in the modern age. [ ← View All Works by Daimon Kinoshita]