Daimon Kinoshita - 武蔵丸土俵入り (Yokozuna Musashimaru Kōyō Ring-Entering Ceremony)

A fabulous print by Daimon Kinoshita of Yokozuna Musashimaru Kōyō (武蔵丸光洋) performing his dohyō-iri (土俵入り, ring-entering ceremony). As the 67th Yokozuna, promoted in 1999, Musashimaru embodied the power and international reach of modern sumo, rising from Hawaii to the highest rank. His career coincided with the great rivalries of the 1990s, a golden era that drew huge crowds and international attention. 💪🌏

• Year & Edition: c.1990s · Published by 京都版画院 (Kyoto Hanga-In). Carved by 木島重男 (Kishima Shigeo). Printed by 伊藤達也 (Ito Tatsuya). 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: Musashimaru Kōyō (b.1971, Samoa/Hawaii) became Yokozuna in 1999, the second foreign-born wrestler to achieve this rank after Akebono. He dominated the ring through the late Heisei period, earning 12 top-division championships. His dohyō-iri symbolises both the continuity of Shinto ritual and the global evolution of sumo at the turn of the 21st century. Daimon Kinoshita comments on his website (www.daimon-e.sakura.ne.jp): 「第６７代横綱。」 (“67th Yokozuna").

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]