Japanese American Sumo in the Continental United States, 1900-1941 - Part 1
Sumo—in which two hefty, virtually naked men push, shove, and throw each other—probably looks like an exotic sport to most Americans. Young Japanese Americans, like other Americans, are likely to think that sumo is part of traditional Japanese culture, not Japanese American culture. Yet before World War II sumo was an important part of life in Japanese American communities, especially in Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley.
Issei and Sumo: From a Village Tradition to a Locus of Issei Identity
Sumo, rooted in rural Japanese villages where the vast majority of Issei originated, was part of Japanese immigrant life …