Based in Vancouver, B.C., our mission is to promote sumo as an activity for all regardless of size, gender or experience. We strive to foster an inclusive environment that builds confidence and skills. Since 2022, we have provided ongoing drop-ins, workshops, exhibitions and more using a community-driven approach.

Following the legacy of the former Sumo Fun Club, Sumo Sundays was founded out of the Powell Street Festival (PSF), which celebrates Japanese Canadian arts and culture. For 40+ years, Sumo Fun Club, a group of first-generation Japanese Canadians, organized an amateur sumo exhibition at the festival. Always drawing the largest crowd, the torch was passed onto PSF when Sumo Fun Club members began to age out. From 2015-2022, the festival coordinated the exhibition and a newly-introduced workshop with a pair of community members. Along with a frequent participant, these community members identified the need for more learning opportunities throughout the year.

This desire culminated in the first Sumo Sundays session at the Vancouver Japanese Language School (VJLS) following the 2022 festival. Taking place in the Downtown Eastside and former Paueru Gai neighbourhood, Sumo Sundays has carried on tradition with its own spin.

Since that first drop-in, Sumo Sundays continues to host monthly sessions at VJLS. We also host the PSF exhibition and facilitate their annual workshops. In 2024, we partnered with PSF to organize the first exhibition outside the festival with support from local Japanese Canadian sponsors. Over the last two years, we extended partnerships to other organizations in the Japanese Canadian community, including hosting children’s programs at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (2023), hosting a demonstration at the Maple Ridge Bon Odori (2024) and providing an in-kind donation to Kikiai Collaborative (2024).