Mobile

An ornamental mobile commemorating the great yokozuna 横綱, sumo master Ōnishiki Uichirō 大錦 卯一郎. It dates from either 1923, in honour of the fighter’s retirement, or 1922, when he became the first yokozuna to perform the ceremony of entering the ring Yokozuna dohyō-iri 横綱 土俵入り at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. The red circle represents the sun, which is the symbol of Japan. The meaning of the characters on the other side of the note containing the name of the fighter is not confirmed. One possibility is that the first character stands for dawn (akatsuki 暁), which could refer to Japan as the “land of the rising sun”, or it could mean “harmony” (mutsu 睦). The second character probably means “achievement” (tachi 達), which could refer to the fighter’s accomplishments. The large red fish is the bream (tai 鯛), a symbol of victory and power as well as good fortune and favourable fate. The character for salt/sea (shio 塩) on a blue and white slip indicates the ritual purification performed during a sumo fight. “Salt throwing” or shio maki 塩撒きdates back to the late 17th century when Shinto rituals were introduced at public sumo competitions. Contestants throw salt into the ring and rub it on their tongues to ward off evil spirits. The ring (dohyo 土俵) is a sacred battlefield (even today, women are not allowed on the platform), and the ritual purification of the area before the match is of great importance. According to Shinto beliefs, salt has purifying powers against evil spirits and pollution, and it is also said to have healing powers. (AD, NVG)