1930s

"The Beginning of the Sumo Menko Era"

The 1930s marked the beginning of the paper sumo menko era.  Menko were produced by a few companies and the selection of sets was limited to stadium sets and "human" sets.  At this time there were only two basho a year and lasted 11 to 13 days and many sets didn't match any particular banzuke.  This era was also marked by the Shunjuen Incident in which Tenryu organized a group of rikishi and staged a walkout to demand reforms within the Sumo Association.  The 1937 Rikishi Thick 5 Set shows Tenryu as an Ozeki from Osaka and directly reflect this volatile part of sumo history.  Futabayama spurred a sumo boom when he went undefeated for 69 consecutive matches or almost three years.  He was subsequently promoted to sumo's highest rank, Yokozuna, during this time.  He kept interest in sumo through the early 1940s.  As is common with almost all menko, menko from the 1930s have a war theme on them that correlates with Japan's war efforts in China.

2.  1932 Rikishi 5 Set

4.  1933 Rikishi 5 Set

5.  1935 Rikishi 5 Set

6.  1936 Rikishi 5 Set

7.  1937 Dai Rikishi 4-5 Set

8.  1937 Rikishi 4-5 Set

9.  1937 Rikishi Thick 5 Set

10.  1937 Rikishi Thin 5 Set