Vintage Handmade Wooden Mini Sumo Wrestlers Tops Goma The Motif With A Brave Face In Ring Dohyo Dung=East Xi=West
We have a large collection of vintage items from Japan. Many of which we brought home in the 1960's. We also have quiet a few treasures from the 1980's.
This set is just adorable. Handmade and hand painted out of wood.
There are 5 wrestlers hand painted in orange, green, blue and two in red. They are in the form of a top. The ring is curved so they will naturally roll into each other. Each one is close to 1 1/2" tall. The Dohyo is 3" wide with the slight curve.
I did reach out to a few experts for advice on the sport of Sumo Wrestling: Sumo wrestler Goma with the motif of a sumo wrestler with a brave face. Play against each other in the attached ring. The ring slopes down toward the center, so the tops naturally collide with each other. Dohyo always has a east side and a west side. Yes, 東 means East, 西 means West.
This mini set is in excellent condition with tremendous detail. Each wrestler has its own chonmage thinly carved at the top.
The chonmage (丁髷) is a type of traditional Japanese topknot haircut worn by men. It is most commonly associated with the Edo period (1603–1867) and samurai, and in recent times with sumo wrestlers. It was originally a method of using hair to hold a samurai kabuto helmet steady atop the head in battle, and became a status symbol among Japanese society.
In a traditional Edo-period chonmage, the top of the head is shaved. The remaining hair was oiled and waxed before being tied into a small tail folded onto the top of the head in the characteristic topknot.
Please see the photos to complete the description.
