SUMIDA WARD

VIVID HOMAGE AND CONTEMPORARY SPECTACLE

Located in the eastern part of Sumida Ward in central Tokyo is an attractive downtown area where tradition meets modern design and new cultures are developing. It is home to the towering Tokyo Skytree and grand Ryogoku Kokugikan arena where Tokyo sumo tournaments are held. The Sumida River that runs between Sumida Ward and Taito Ward is famous for Sumida River Fireworks, one of the oldest fireworks festivals in Japan.

The Sumida Hokusai Museum (https://hokusai-museum.jp) was established in 2016 to commemorate the life of Katsushika Hokusai, one of Japan’s most renowned ukiyo-e painters of the Edo Period (1603 to 1868), as well as to contribute to local industries and tourism. Hokusai spent almost all his life in Sumida, producing modern and unique designs that have inspired countless artists internationally to date.

Looking down on the boat from the above, it looks like it is unzipping the water’s surface. “It is as if to separate two conflicting things such as play and work, or holy and profane, and to put them back together. The border continuously opens and closes,” said Yasuko Ogiwara, the director of Sumida River Sumi-Yume Art Project, an organization sponsoring the event.

In addition, on the wide Sakurabashi bridge, stretching about 150 meters from one side of the river to the other, a Bon odori (summer folk dance) will be held in the evening of Sept. 22. The event is named Sumidagawa Wa-odori (circle dance), inspired by one of Hokusai’s prints “Odori Gyoretsu-zu” (“Image of dance parade”).

On the same bridge, a fashion show produced by Yoshinari Nishio, an artist who produces works on the relationship between fashion and communication, will take place on Oct. 26. The show will involve the local people of Sumida as models and planners. The concept revolves around gyōshō-nin, or peddlers, and the models will use their bodies to display various products. Things found or borrowed from local stores on the shopping street in the area will be used to decorate their bodies. “Sumida, a town of manufacturing, is home to a number of factories that make knitted fabrics and leather products. The show will be a rare opportunity to display such materials as they are,” said Ogiwara.

There will be many more art events such as giant kami-zumo (paper sumo) matches, a hand-made amusement park produced by installation artist unit Kosuge 1-16, a shadow play by shadow puppeteer and musician Koheisai Kawamura and many other performances and workshops organized by local groups.

“Sumida is a place where Edo culture was nurtured. We would like to combine the traditions that remain in the area with new ideas, adding the creativity of the present day,” said Ogiwara.