Tuesday, November 19, 2013

(434) Sumo 1: Banzuke


One of the most characteristic, albeit cheapest sumo souvenirs –if you happen to be in Japan when there is a tournament on (i.e. on odd months): it is called “banzuke” (番付) and is a list of the wrestlers participating in the running tournament starting with the higher-level ones (top, in bigger letters) and ending with the lower-level ones (second to last, in smaller); in the last section are the referees, the handymen, the judges, the elders of the Sumo Association and the hairdressers (yes). Copies can be found everywhere and they cost 99 cents –as for the original it is handwritten by the referees.

(For a bigger version of this picture both in color and black and white, check my "Japan Arekore" set on Flickr)

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