Paper Sumo Wrestling - 1930s Version

Menko have always been viewed as toys rather than collectibles by most Japanese.  They were meant to be played with, destroyed, and thrown away with very little concern for value, longevity, and collectability.  As such, a good amount of the 1930s menko that I run across have been well used and loved.  That is okay with me as the stories the menko could tell/do tell are what helps drive me in the menko hobby.  One very popular game that kids would play with menko is called kami-zumo, or paper sumo.  In a nutshell, paper sumo wrestlers are placed on a board and then that board is tapped which vibrates the wrestlers moving them around the ring.  The paper wrestlers eventually tangle themselves and knock each other over.  Last one standing wins.  Check out this 15-second video to give you a quick idea:

In the 1930s, this game seemed to be all the rage as I have dozens and dozens of R-series menko that were cut along the bottom and along their arms to allow them to stand and engage in paper sumo.  Here are three such examples from the R392-2: 1939 Rikishi 4-5-6 set.

You can see all the cut marks (two rikishi lost their left arm in battle, yikes).  Here is what they look like stood up:

Good luck to all the wrestlers that are competing this tournament.  It'll be an exciting 15 days for sure.  Sayonara!!

Scratch-&-Sniff: Japanese Sumo Wrestling Style

Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, BBM was doing some cool things with their sets and insert sets that were somewhat "revolutionary" for their time...at least for sumo wrestling cards.  One item that seemed to be most unique were the aroma cards that smelled of bintsuke.  For those new to the sumo wrestling world, bintsuke is a hair oil/wax that wrestlers (actually, geisha use it too) have put in their hair when they are getting it styled.  It has a sweet smell and helps give the wrestlers that sheen as well as helps stiffen the hair to allow hairdressers to style it without it falling down.  Once you smell it, you'll instantly recognize it at any time in the future and it is a smell synonymous with sumo wrestling.  In 1998 BBM decided to put small patches of thin felt on a 6-card insert set (see below) and put a bit of bintsuke on them to create the "Smell of Bintsuke".  A really cool idea that is somewhat unique among trading cards, especially in Japan.  Unfortunately, 20 years later the aroma on most of these insert cards has long disappeared, but the thought that BBM was once edgy and cutting edge lingers on.

1962 Japanese Star Playing Cards - Baseball & Sumo Wrestling

This is a set I have been eying for a while having missed out on it many years ago.  Another one popped up recently and I quickly snagged it as you don't see them often.  This set is from late 1962 and features circular playing cards with famous actors, actresses, singers, and sports stars.  Issued in a children's magazine as a promotional item likely for the New Year's magazines that came out in December or early January, these types of sets were common throughout the 1950s and 1960s.   Heck, there are even a few American actors in the set namely Vincent Edwards and Harry Mills and the famous Japanese singer, Kyu Sakamoto, who died in the deadliest single plane accident in history: Japan Airlines Flight 123.

Representing the sumo wrestling community is Yokozuna Taiho who was on his meteoric rise to stardom in 1962.  Three Japanese baseball players garnered cards in this set: Sadaharu Oh, Shigeo Nagashima, and Yukio Osaki.  Osaki seemed like and odd choice to include in the set, but if you look at his performance in 1962, he was Rookie of the year and his team, the Toei Flyers, went on to win the Japan Series so he was a bright star in late 1962.  A lot of people had high hopes for him, but he eventually faded away not achieving his expected greatness.

Not a lot of people chase these oddball issues, but I love the thrill of the chase and finding these obscure sets that help build the sumo wrestling card repository.