2. A Long Japanese Tradition: Sumo Wrestling in Japantowns
Sumo wrestling has a long history in Japan dating back to the seventh century and was used as a form of ritual in the Shinto religion to ensure a good harvest. In sumo two contestants called rikishi fight in a sacred ring called a dohyo that is a raised earthen platform with four posts in each corner that is believed to represent the four seasons. The goal of the match is to push your opponent outside of the ring or to get him down on the ground and a referee oversees the match that is called a gyuoji. Sumo had been brought over with the Issei to America and was a popluar sport in the early Japanese communities. Isleton's Japantown had many notable sports teams but the most well-known one was their Sumo Wrestling team who during the 1930s won numerous championships. In 1932 Isleton's Japantown hosted the Seventh Annual Sumo Wrestling Tournament that was held every Fourth of July in the Sacramento region. Sumo was very popular among the Kibei (Japanese who were born in America and were sent to Japan to study) who connected with the sport from their time in Japan. Due to the popularity of the sport the American Sumo Association was created in 1925 and was followed by the Central Northern California Youth Sumo League in 1927. The later was established in Sacramento and in 1937 ended up being split into two different leagues with one based in Sacramento and other in Fresno. The different organizations would put on a state championship once a year while holding regional tournaments a couple times a year. In San Jose a Sumo team was formed through the local Buddhist church and in 1926 after the Asahi baseball team moved their moved to a new field a sumo ring was built in its place. Eventually the popularity of sumo in California attracted the Japan Summo Associartion who in 1927 began sending sumo champions to train potential wrestlers. From 1925 to 1940 many Japanese American Sumo wrestlers would travel to compete in Japan. After the bombing of Pearl Harbour the popularity of Sumo wrestling faded in America as Japanese communities did not want to be connected with the sport that was strongly associated with Imperial Japan. The internment of Japanese Americans during the war put an end to the practice aside from some minor tournaments being played in the camps. After the war the redevelopment of areas containing Japantowns throughout California effectively destroyed the Japantowns and ended the practice of sumo wrestling in mainland America. While it has made a comeback in recent years it has never reached the height of popularity it once had.