Kannazuki: Setting Up “Kotatsu,” Public Sumō Bouts, and Other Traditional Events in October

A man lights the coals of a sunken hearth as women set up a kotatsu in the 1734 work Ehon waka no ura. (Courtesy National Institute of Japanese Literature)

The sesame seeds and dark lines of inokomochi bring to mind the speckles and stripes of baby boar. (© Pixta)

Merchants get into the spirit of the Ebisu-kō festival in a print by Yōshū Chikanobu depicting annual events in Edo. (Courtesy National Diet Library)

Visitors to the bettara-ichi stroll through the streets around the Takarada Ebisu Shrine in Utagawa Hiroshige IV’s Edofunai ehon fūzoku ōrai, a work depicting the manners and customs of the old capital. (Courtesy National Diet Library)

The stands around the ring are packed with spectators in a depiction of kanjin-zumō by Utagawa Kuniteru II. (Courtesy National Diet Library)