Sankai Mitate Sumo
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- British Museum
Typical Price
- Later reprint (Meiji–Taisho era publishers): $50–$400
Hiroshige produced an estimated 8,000 designs over his 40-year career, making him one of the most prolific masters of ukiyo-e. His market has strengthened significantly in recent years, with the 2025 Sotheby's Paris record of $2.4M and growing international collector interest.
Sankai Mitate Sumo — a "comparison" or "mimicry" sumo print — was a popular genre in Edo woodblock publishing in which wrestlers were matched or compared to marine creatures, mountains, or other natural subjects. This print likely stages a formal comparison between wrestlers from different stables or provinces, the sumo imagery filtered through the conceit of the mitate (substitution) format.
Sankai Mitate Sumo was created by Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重).
Sankai Mitate Sumo depicts sumo.
