I am not a big sumo wrestling post card collector, but I feel like I am missing the boat every time I pick up a few random post card sets. Post Cards provide a snapshot in time of what sumo wrestlers looked like at the time of the photograph. Although not as visually appealing as some of the menko of the day, some post card designs are very nicely done and worthy of a second look anytime I am browsing card auctions. Take this newly discovered PC-series set, PC641: 1964 Blue Background Postcards, for instance. The colors, simplicity, and "crudeness" make this an easy pick up in my book especially since there are some rikishi that very rarely show u[p on cards. Equally interesting is how rare 1960s Japanese cards are; from the mid- to late-1960s they are virtually non-existent, including Japanese baseball cards. There was a cultural and economic tussle in the 1960s that encouraged kids, and the Japanese economy, to strive to be #1 and consequently a lot of the toys and games kids played with went to the wayside while they focused their attention on studying. Similarly, the accessibility of television sets also pulled kids attention away from the games of old to the virtual diversions being broadcast out to the masses. This set captures the top rikishi from the summer of 1964:
Yokozuna Taiho
Yokozuna Kashiwado
Yokozuna Tochinoumi
Ozeki Sadanoyama
Ozeki Kitabayama
Ozeki Yutakayama
Very nice looking set of postcards. I'm also a bit torn about whether to include postcards in my collection. It seems the boundaries between the "postcard" and "card" hobbies are a bit more blurred in Japan - like there are a lot of Yamakatsu cards from the 70s which are clearly meant to be "cards" but are also postcard sized and look like postcards from the front.
ReplyDeleteI catalogue any postcard sets in my book for completeness. There are definitely some large cards in Japan...especially the bromides of the 1970s and 1980s.
DeleteI've been cautious about diving into the postcard scene, but no way I would pass these up if I stumbled across them at a flea market or garage sale. These are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt is a slippery slope for sure and I try to shy away from postcards mainly due to cost. This set is pretty nice though and have to have it.
DeleteI really like these. Great colors, and the images and characters seem very sharp and crisp. I know I would have enjoyed finding one of these in my mailbox back then, complete with a little handwritten note from a friend or family member on the back.
ReplyDeleteThis is a nice looking postcard set for sure. Absolutely would have loved getting one of these in the mail back in the day.
Delete