[SUMO-History] Kokugikans (Was: Photo info request)

[Dale Carlson <drc@oz.net>]

At 08:03 AM 12/3/98 -0800, Masumi Abe wrote:
>According to the information I have, the first "Kokugi-Kan" was built in
>1909 in Ryogoku and used until the end of the WW-II or 1947 when General
>McArthur's GHQ (General Head Quarter) took over the ownership of the
>building. <snip>

Thanks for all the information, as always. I didn't mean to suggest 
that I thought you were in the audience in pre-war times :) The
chronology I was going on was mainly that on the "Sumo World" 
website. It says that the Kokugikan built in 1909 was destroyed
by fire in 1917, and that it wasn't reopened until January 1920.
I've posted photos of each, taken from approximately the same
location, at http://www.oz.net/~drc/kokugikans.html for comparison.
Basically the same building, but the first one looks to be largely
built of wood (and a fanciful mix of Japanese and European styles)
while the second is of masonry construction and a bit more "serious"
looking. I suppose they could be regarded as the same Kokugikan, 
extensively rebuilt. I was just curious if the interior photo
I posted could be associated with one or the other for dating
purposes.

The "New Kokugikan" looks like a beautiful facility, but it's too 
new to have much "character" yet. Maybe by the time I finally get 
to Japan for a basho, it will be delightfully old and deprepit. 
That reminds me- Go Mitoizumi & Terao!!! :)

Thanks,
Dale

P.S. Sorry that my last post was sent from the year 1999 :)