Sumo U.S.A.: Wrestling the Grand Tradition

July 3 - November 30, 1997

Though known as the national sport of Japan, sumo has a long history in the United States. Prior to World War II, the story of sumo in the U.S. is a Japanese American one, where it played an important and largely forgotten role in many Japanese American communities in Hawai'i and on the West Coast. This exhibit traces the history of sumo in Hawai'i from its Japanese American roots to its current popularity and includes an explanation of the culture, ceremony and rules of sumo. It was originally mounted by the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawai'i and has been augmented with a section on the history of Japanese American sumo on the mainland.