Sumo
Kubota, a veteran photographer of the sumo world, presents an album of the sport that is both gorgeously sensual and frustratingly mute on much of what it depicts. After a brief and breathless introductionAsumo is described as "a primal struggle" and "the ultimate in unarmed combat"Awe are treated to a gallery of lavish full-bleed photos. Both black-and-white and color, they feature sumo wrestlers as moving sculpture, their monumental bodies slick with sweat or gritty with the dust of the ring. Shoulders and haunches loom from the shadows, and the camera lingers on details: a massive foot, a carefully tied silk mawashi, or belt. A few paragraphs at the end purport to explain sumo's rules and history, but much of the ritual detail and rigid protocol of the Japanese national sport is glossed over. Sumo aficionados will recognize top wrestlers like Akebono and Takanohana, but the book does not name them. A good choice for confirmed fans and photography enthusiasts, but a poor one for those interested in learning about sumo. Recommended for large photography and Japan collections.AJanice P. Nimura, New YorkCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.