Puppet of the sumo wrestler Hidenoyama Raigorō

This print belongs to a series of five showing beautiful women holding puppets that represent popular wrestlers of the day (it’s unclear if these puppets actually existed or were an invention of the artist). Hidenoyama Raigorō (1808–1862) was one of the greatest wrestlers in the Edo period. In 1847 he was appointed the ninth yokozuna in the history of sumo, the highest rank possible for a wrestler.