Aโข Century of Unity, aโ Legacy of โTradition: Japan’sโค sumo Association โขat 100
For a century, the Japan sumo Associationโ (JSA) has governed Japan’s national sport, a milestone reached in 2025โ followingโค its official unification in 1925 from competingโ associations based in Tokyo and osaka.However, the story ofโฃ sumo extends far beyond administrative dates, deeply interwoven with Japan’s modernization, national identity, and evolving relationship with the outside world.
The early 20th century saw Japan undergoing rapid Westernization, bolstered by military successesโฃ against China and Russia.This periodโ of change coincided with the growing popularity of baseball, an American import. โAs formerโ baseball player Harry Kingman observedโฃ during a โ1927 coaching stint in Tokyo, the embrace of baseball was viewed as part of the nation’s broader modernizationโ efforts. โ
Despite baseball’s rise,sumo remained the most popular โขsport in Japan untill the 1990s.Yet, the influx of this foreign game sparked anxieties within theโ sumo world,โค as it appeared โto threaten sumo’s dominance and fan base. โขThis competition arguably spurred the need for a unified governing body, culminatingโค in the formation of the JSA.
today, โคJapan enjoys a reputation for “gross national cool,” as journalist Douglas McGray termed itโข in โข2002, highlighting the โnation’s influence through popular culture. However, McGray noted sumo as a notable exception, attributing this to what he perceived โขas insular attitudes within its leadership.
Oneโข meaningful challenge to sumo’s international โฃappeal lies in its complex relationship with foreigners. While sports like baseball, soccer, and rugby readily incorporate international players, โคsumo has historically โคbeenโฃ more restrictive.โ The success ofโ foreign-born wrestlers has, at times,โข been met with resistance. In 1993, Akebono, โฃa Hawaiian wrestler, became the first foreigner โto achieveโข theโ highest rank of “yokozuna,” prompting a temporary halt to the โขrecruitment of wrestlers from outside Japan.
Though restrictions have gradually eased, andโ the number โขof non-Japanese โprofessional wrestlers is increasing, they remain a minority. Their achievements โขcontinue to fuel debate about the role โฃof foreigners within the sport.
Moreover, sumo’s deeply rooted traditions, while central to its โฃidentity, have occasionally drawn criticism. A 2018 incident atโฃ a tournament, where female medics were asked toโ leave the sumo ring – โขconsidered a sacred space – โคwhile attending to a collapsed official, sparked โฃwidespread condemnation. Theโ JSA chairman later apologized, but the event underscored perceptions of anachronistic practices.
changes are occurring, however. A 1926 Tokyo governmentโ ban on women’s sumo is no longer enforced,and female wrestlers are now โคparticipating inโฃ amateur clubs,thoughโ they remain excluded from professional competition.
While sumo tournaments attract tourists,manny experience them as โa โone-time cultural event. The question remains whether sumo can evolve sufficiently to become a more effective โtool for Japan’s sportsโ diplomacy.โค The answer, ultimately, โขhinges on the โขJSA’sโ priorities: preserving the sport’s uniquely Japanese identity or fostering broader global connections.
(Source: the Conversation – an self-reliant and nonprofit source ofโฃ news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.)
