SUMO / INSIDE SUMO

London exhibition perhaps sumo's most successful trip abroad

With the recent sumo jaunt to London being essentially a goodwill exercise, <i>rikishi</i> were far more outgoing and relaxed than normal.

With the recent sumo jaunt to London being essentially a goodwill exercise, rikishi were far more outgoing and relaxed than normal. | Hiro Morita

By John Gunning
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Oct 22, 2025

With the Japan Sumo Association’s (JSA) first trip to London in 34 years being far more successful than almost anyone could have expected, the possibility of a return visit has already been raised by the people involved.

But while there is clearly an audience for sumo in the British capital, don’t expect banzuke and bintsuke to become as closely associated with London as bobbies and black cabs anytime soon.

According to longtime NHK sumo commentator Hiro Morita — who was MC for the Royal Albert Hall tournament — the JSA isn’t very proactive when it comes to such matters and it could be a decade or more before discussions over a return to the U.K. turn serious.