1959 Brown Tawara 5 Set

    Description:  This is a nice set printed in 1959.  The "Tawara" series of menko produced by the Marushyou Gangu Company are quite confusing as they made around 6 sets of cards between 1957 and 1965 with identical backs.  This particular set has the brown back and some menko from this set have blank backs.  There is no rank information on the front of the menko so it's a challenge to figure out what set they belong to.  One nice feature of the "Tawara" sets is they typically feature a lot of low ranking rikishi.  A good menko to keep an eye out for is the Yokozuna Wakanohana menko as this was one of his earlier Yokozuna menko and the Yokozuna Chiyonoyama as this was one of his last.  There is an identical set to this with ble-green backs, the 1959 Blue Tawara 5 Set. 

    Company: Marushyou                                    Availability: Scarce

    Card Size: 2.0" X 4.00"                                   Card Material: Thin, Paper Stock

    # of Cards: 13+                                               Packaging: Sheets

   Key Cards:  Yokozuna Wakanohana I,  Juryo Otayama

  Winner Stamp Description: Unknown

   Front Design:  Most of the menko show the Rikishi in various poses or action shots against a solid color background.  Some menko have the rikishi in their kesho-mawashi as well.  Shikona is vertical.

   Back Design:  The rikishi's statistics are printed vertically on the back with tawara on the top and left.  A Gu-Choki-Pa is on the bottom right with a 5 digit fighting number on the bottom.  Backs are printed in brown ink.

Wakanohana
Banzuke Checklist					Numerical Checklist
Rank	Shikona	Fighting  #			Rank	Shikona	Fighting #
Yokozuna	Wakanohana	90205			Yokozuna	Wakanohana	90205
Yokozuna	Chiyonoyama	81004			Yokozuna	Chiyonoyama	81004
Ozeki					Maegashira	Wakachichibu	81004
Sekiwake					Maegashira	Wakasugiyama	81004
Komusubi					Juryo	Tomikatsu	81004
Maegashira	Shinobuyama	19002			Maegashira	Shimanishiki-Purple	71500
Maegashira	Mitsuneyama	70501			Maegashira	Mitsuneyama	70501
Maegashira	Tokinishiki	19002			Maegashira	Kitabayama	63700
Maegashira	Kitabayama	63700			Maegashira	Oikawa	63700
Maegashira	Oikawa	63700			Maegashira	Hanenishiki	63700
Maegashira	Oginohana	56001			Maegashira	Oginohana	56001
Maegashira	Hanenishiki	63700			Maegashira	Shinobuyama	19002
Maegashira	Wakachichibu	81004			Maegashira	Tokinishiki	19002
Maegashira	Shimanishiki-Purple	71500			Maegashira	Shimanishiki-Orange	Blank
Maegashira	Shimanishiki-Orange	Blank
Maegashira	Wakasugiyama	81004
Juryo	Tomikatsu	81004