Grand Sumo Tournament comes to London

29. October 2025

Sumo wrestling, one of the world’s oldest sports, returned to the Royal Albert Hall with a bang.

For the first time in 34 years, the sporting spectacle of sumo wrestling returned to the Royal Albert Hall in London in October 2025. It attracted world-wide media attention, since the event is rarely seen outside of its native Japan.

The 5-day tournament, proudly sponsored by Kikkoman, saw 40 elite division rikishi (wrestlers) compete in the sacred dohyo ring. The ancient sport of sumo dates back over 1500 years with roots in Shinto religion, a cultural explosion of sporting athleticism and ceremony.

The impressive round venue was transformed into a temple of sumo. Above the ring, a giant yakata (canopy) was suspended, resembling the roof of a Shinto shrine. There were no pillars though, so not to block any spectators’ view of the bouts.

Many sumo rituals witnessed at the sold-out event included salt-throwing to cleanse the dohyo, the tying of a large, twisted rope (tsuna) over the apron of the top ranking yokozuna wrestler, the thunderous leg stomps to drive away evil spirits, and the clapping and turning of hands to attract divine attention and show they bear no weapons.

Perhaps surprisingly, not all rikishi were from Japan – some were from Ukraine, Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. In 1989 Nathan John Strange was the first British man to join a sumo stable. Training starts from as young as 15, taking many years to work through the sumo stable ranks to qualify for professional careers. It takes a lot of talent and dedication to reach the top division.

On the last day of the tournament, Yokozuna Hōshōryu from Mongolia became the Grand Champion. He finished with an undefeated 5-0 record, beating fellow yokozuna Onosato in the final bout.

As well as receiving a trophy, Hōshōryu was also presented with prizes from the sponsors including a token giant inflatable Kikkoman Soy Sauce bottle which delighted the crowds.

What an incredible honour for Kikkoman to be part of.

Grand Sumo Tournament in numbers:

100 matches in 5 days
1 winner
10,000 calories consumed per day
25,000 attendees to the event
82 winning moves (kimarite)
6 official Grand Sumo tournaments a year
11 tonnes of soil, sand and cement used to make the dohyo ring
4.5kg - weight of the silk belt
4.55 metres - diameter of inner ring circle
26 year – winner’s age
700kg of rice, 1,000 packets of instant miso soup, 1,050 onigiri, 400 Kikkoman Soy Sauce bottles, 750 packs of instant noodles were bought in by the venue