A photo exhibition tracing the path of grand-sumo yokozuna Hakuho (organized by The Mainichi Newspapers and Mainichi Building) begins tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31, at Art Salon Mainichi on the first floor west of Palaceside Building. Ahead of it, on the 30th, Hakuho’s championship portrait was brought in. As previewed in this blog on the 20th, it is the genuine article commemorating his 33rd title at this January basho, surpassing Taiho. At 3.17 meters tall by 2.265 meters wide it is huge.
(On the 20th I wrote “80 kilograms”; that was the weight in the painted era before photographs. Once it became a photo the frame was lightened to 59 kilograms. My apologies.)
As last time, The Mainichi Newspapers presents the championship portraits. Thirty-two hang toward the ceiling of the Kokugikan, eight each north, south, east and west; before each of the three Tokyo basho a year, the two oldest come down and the two most recent go up. The portrait on show here will hang from the May tournament;
this is an early unveiling.
Just before 11:30 a.m. the frame arrived by truck at the west entrance. As in the sequence at right, it was carefully carried up the stairs, passed diagonally through the glass doors, across the lobby, again diagonally through the salon entrance, and into the hall.
The exhibition also lines panel photos of Hakuho’s path and mini portraits of all 32 of his championship frames (photo below) (some for sale).
The show runs through Saturday, April 11, daily 11:00–18:00 (last entry 30 minutes before
close), until 16:00 on the last day. Admission free. The run overlaps Chiyoda Cherry Festival, so Palaceside Building will open specially on Sunday, April 5, normally a closed day; you can see the Hakuho photo show then too.
