I'm not sure if it has ever been discussed before, but who are the mysterious "sumo" wrestlers on the 1955 Parkhurst Wrestling #60 card?  I've seen this card for several decades and have never owned a copy.  Not sure why, but I have never pulled the trigger on owning one.  I think the main reason is that the "sumo wrestlers" that are on the card are actually former sumo wrestlers that switched over to pro wrestling after their active sumo years were over.  This was quite common and a lot of the early Japanese pro wrestlers started in sumo wrestling.  The main clue that these three wrestlers were not active in sumo when this card was made is that their hair is cut and not formed into the instantly recognizable chomage, or ginko leaf, style.  Let's find out who these mystery men are.

I recognize one of the wrestlers instantly - Azumafuji.  He is on the far right.  He retired in 1954 from sumo wrestling and turned to pro wrestling with some mild success in the mid-1950s.  He was also a Yokozuna, or Grand Champion, in sumo so his departure from the world of sumo into the world of pro wrestling was extremely controversial at the time.

The middle wrestler looks like the famous Rikidozan.  He too started off in sumo wrestling and was fairly successful, but called it quits in 1950 and entered the pro wrestling world soon after.  Probably the most famous pro wrestler in Japanese history.

The wrestler on the far left I believe is Fujitayama.  He was part of the same sumo wrestling stable as Azumafuji and they likely left together in 1954 to enter pro wrestling, although I am not certain on that.  No successful in sumo and doesn't appear he was either in pro wrestling.

It's sad that the back of the card does not promote the sport of sumo well.  It calls the movements in the ring slow and clumsy which, in my opinion, is far from the truth.

Well, there you have it.  My little bit of mystery solving to advance the trading card community.

Have a great week!  Cheers!

  Discovering new menko sets is getting fewer and farther between so it is always exciting when a new set pops up and I am able to get my hands on them.  This set hails from the H-series of menko (The Brick Menko) and has a lot going for it.  First, it is very rare given the fact that these 8 menko are the only ones I have ever seen from this set in almost 2 decades of collecting.  Second, the backs make for easy identification....made by Maruta along with all the ranks of the wrestlers pinpoints this set depicting the October 1955 Tournament (1955 Aki Basho).  Future Yokozuna Wakanohana was promoted to the rank of Ozeki right after this tournament and is a key menko in this set.  Lastly, and most importantly, these menko are in immaculate condition.  If you ever played Pogs, you know the importance of the slammer.  In menko, these H-series "Bricks" are extremely thick and heavy and were great slammers for flipping over other menko.  Naturally, the ones you find today are usually beat up and bent....these, however, were likely deadstock in some store before they made their way to auction.  Just for reference, these measure about 3/16" thick and are very stiff.  Given that 6 of the 8 wrestlers in the known checklist of this H554 set made it to Yokozuna along with great artwork on the front, makes this a true masterpiece of a set.  I'm happy to add this set to my collection and it will be checklisted and included in the 4th addition of my Sumo Menko and Card Checklist book.