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The geisha Tojin (Foreigner), Shishi (Lion) and Sumo (Wrestler) attired as actors in a Niwaka or burlesque theatrical performance in the streets of the Yoshiwara
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Utamaro was born in 1753 in Edo (Tokyo) and died in 1806. He is considered the leading Japanese printmaker and painter of bijin. Utamaro started his career as a student of the master painter Toriyama Sekien. Utamaro's early known artworks are ukiyo-e prints for the kabuki theater published under the name of Utagawa Toyoaki.
Since 1791 Utamaro concentrated on woman portraits. His models were from pleasure-district Yoshiwara. His women are idealized with extremely tall and slender bodies. The necks, heads, faces, and noses are elongated.
In 1804 Utamaro got into trouble for violation of censorship laws. His historic print depicted the ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi with his wife and five concubines. This was considered an offense against the Tokugawa family. The arrest had a devastating impact and he fell into depressions. Utamaro Kitagawa died on October 31, 1806, two years after the arrest. He was 53 years old.
Utamaro Kitagawa is the most famous ukiyo-e artist of the late eighteenth century.
Charles Stewart Smith (1832-1909) was an art collector and businessman. As a businessman, Smith was a president, and director of the Associates Land Company, vice president and director of the City and Suburban Homes Company, treasurer and director of the Woodlawn Cemetery, trustee of Barnard College and director of the Fifth Avenue Bank, German Alliance Insurance Company, Greenwich Savings Bank, and Fourth National Bank. He was a member of the Union League, Lawyers, Players, Century, and Merchants Club. As an art collector, Smith was a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vice President of the Society of Art Collectors (558 Fifth Avenue, New York). In 1892, while traveling in Japan on his honeymoon with his third wife, he purchased several thousand Japanese prints, ceramics, and paintings from the British military man, journalist, author and collector Captain Frank Brinkley (1841-1912). In 1901 Smith donated 1,763 Japanese woodcut prints to the New York Public Library and the rest to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among these color woodcuts is a celebrated group of prints by Kitagawa Utamaro, as well as examples of the work of Harunobu, Koryusai, Sharaku, and Hokusai.
Sumo is a traditional Japanese martial art and form of wrestling that dates back to ancient times. It originated in the Edo period of Japan when it was a popular form of entertainment for the common people. The first recorded sumo match was held in the year 23 BCE. Over the centuries, sumo has evolved into a highly respected and ritualized sport, with strict rules and traditions. The origins of Sumo date back several centuries when the sport was developed as a way of preserving the ancient traditions of Shinto, a Japanese ethnic religion. Today, elements of the Shinto religion remain an integral part of Sumo wrestling, while the sport’s greatest contenders are elevated to celebrity status. Some famous sumoists include: Chiyonofuji (1953-2016): Chiyonofuji was a legendary sumo wrestler who was active from the 1970s to the 1990s. He was one of the most successful sumo wrestlers of all time, winning 31 top division championships and earning the title of yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo. Taiho (1940-2013): Taiho was a sumo wrestler who was active from the 1950s to the 1970s. He was one of the greatest sumo wrestlers of all time, winning a record 32 top division championships and earning the title of yokozuna. Kitanoumi (1952-present): Kitanoumi is a retired sumo wrestler who was active from the 1970s to the 1990s. He was one of the most successful sumo wrestlers of his time, winning 24 top division championships and earning the title of yokozuna. Asashoryu (1980-present): Asashoryu is a retired sumo wrestler who was active from the 2000s to the 2010s. He was one of the most dominant sumo wrestlers of his time, winning 25 top division championships and earning the title of yokozuna. Hakuho (1985-present): Hakuho is a current sumo wrestler who has been active since the early 2000s. He is one of the greatest sumo wrestlers of all time, with a record-tying 41 top division championships and a record-breaking 11 consecutive championships.
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