Hello, this is Chizu. This is the third installment in the series, and the record we’re looking at is “Kansei Zumou (Sumo).” As you might guess, the theme is sumo wrestling.
I’m not particularly knowledgeable about sumo myself, but in Japan, it’s featured daily on TV as “Today’s Matches” in the latter half of the news. Also, sumo was often playing on TV in small, casual restaurants.
That’s how familiar sumo is to us. So, let’s analyze it in a little more detail!
Kansei zumou(sumou) <3> / 寛政相撲＜三＞
Record Overview: What did you see on the record?
| Record label | Victor |
| Title | Kansei zumou(sumou) <3> / 寛政相撲＜三＞ |
| Singer | Tomoe Kimura / 木村友衛 |
| Instruments | unknown |
| Format | 78rpm? |
Record Overview: What did you see on the record?
Wow! There’s absolutely no information about this song either.
Even when I search for “Tomoe Kimura（木村友衛）” or “Kansei Sumo（寛政相撲）,” I can’t easily find anything on the internet. However, I can see the words “Naniwabushi（浪花節）” above the title, so if I put those together, I can gradually see more details.
The secret hidden in the name: Tomoe Kimura
The person who sang it was Tomoe Kimura, a famous figure in the Naniwabusi( or Roukyoku) genre. He, the first performer, was born in 1900 and died in 1977. His name was taken over by a female Roukyoku performer in 1974. The fact that a woman was able to inherit the name is quite innovative for the first generation.
Naniwabushi(浪花節＝浪曲) is storytelling
“Naniwabushi, also known as “Roukyoku, is a performing art that began in Japan in the early Meiji period. It is a form of storytelling that uses a unique rhythm and narration to advance a story, accompanied by shamisen, like musicul on the stage. Many of the performances depict themes of duty and human compassion, and the subject matter is heavily influenced by kōdan (storytelling).
The Naniwabushi seems to have spread throughout Japan in the early Showa period through radio and records. Do you notice anything, living in the modern age?
Isn’t that just like audiobooks today?
In an era when TVs were still expensive and VHS didn’t exist, people may have enjoyed stories through records.
What was the story behind that made it so popular that people bought the record to listen to it over and over again? I felt there might be some clue to what captivated people, so I did some research.
Kansei Sumo: The Three Great Generals of the Sumo World
I’m not very familiar with the history of sumo, so I looked it up on the website of the Japan Sumo Association.
Sumo in a Time of Hardship
Life in the Kansei Era and the Role of Entertainment
The Kansei era (1789–1801) was part of the Edo period. At that time, Japan experienced a severe famine. Many people left the countryside and went to cities to find work. The shogunate tried to send them back to their hometowns and encouraged rice farming. It also tried to deal with the debts of samurai, who had been spending too much. As a result, people were expected to live more simply, and many became dissatisfied.
In a time when many forms of luxury were restricted, sumo was one of the few forms of entertainment people could enjoy. It helped relieve stress. Sumo has a long history going back to ancient times, but during the Edo period, professional wrestlers began to appear. In a way, they l were like bounty hunter.
“Who is the strongest?”
The most famous wrestlers at that time were Tanikaze Kajinosuke, Onogawa Kisaburo, and Raiden Tameemon. Tanikaze and Onogawa were later recognized as Yokozuna (grand champions). Raiden, however, remained an Ozeki. Even so, his record was extraordinary: only 10 losses over 21 years, with a winning percentage of .962.
People must have been excited to see these great wrestlers. Spectators gathered from early in the morning, and their portraits sold quickly. This shows how popular they were. The anecdotes surrounding their match spread widely and were further elevated into famous performances by professional storytellers.
Thus, one of the “legendary sumo wrestler stories” that has been loved by people to this day is this “Kansei Sumo.”
Consultation: For Issei, Sumo
For Issei, reality was fraught with “language differences,” “a work-centered life,” and “social constraints and discrimination.”
He may have longed to return to his homeland.
There must have been days when he questioned himself, wondering why he had to endure such a difficult life in a foreign land.
What had he come all this way for?
I imagine that in those moments, sumo may have offered more than simple entertainment.
The stories of wrestlers who rose to the top through their own strength could have reminded him of something steady and familiar—values he already understood.
Strength, perseverance, and recognition earned through effort.
Listening to these stories, he may have found a quiet sense of connection:
to a shared past, to a language that needed no translation, and to a version of himself that still belonged somewhere.
Sumo did not directly change his circumstances.
However, it may have given him the strength to endure hardship and a sense of dignity that could not easily be taken away.
By the way, there are several songs that support me emotionally, and this is one of them、Sorafune. The original is by Miyuki Nakajima, but I like the powerful cover version sung by Koji Kikkawa together with the group Tokio. Here are the lyrics.
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