When Fiamalu Penitani, a former football player for the Seariders, left Wai'anae High 18 years ago, it was to an uncertain future in a distant land.

These days his place in sumo and Hawai'i sports history assured, the 1989 alumnus likes to give back to his alma mater.

"I like to try and return a little something back for all the school did for me," said the man who held the top rank of yokozuna in Japan's national sport for five years.

"I don't want them to talk bad about me," Penitani joked. "Nah, I like to give something back."

Today, the 6-3, 500-pounder who once competed under the ring name Musashimaru will be giving the school 200 tickets for the June 9-10 Grand Sumo Tournament in Hawai'i. Wai'anae High is one of five schools chosen to receive tickets, a tournament official said.

"I'd like for the people there to see the sport up close here," said Penitani, who will be part of a presentation on Japanese culture at the Ala Moana Center stage today at 4:30 p.m.

The tournament will feature 30 of the top sumo wrestlers in a two-day exhibition at the Blaisdell Arena.

Penitani, who retired in 2005 after winning 12 Emperor's Cups, symbolic of tournament championships, is one of the sport's elders, holding a salaried position in the Japan Sumo Association, which runs the sport and oversees international events.

Beyond the tournament, Penitani said he likes to return to his alma mater as a living example of hard work and perseverance. "I try to tell kids that they can do a lot of things," he said. "It is just about working hard. You just have to put your heart into it."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.