Overview

• Opening night drew a full house as yokozuna Hoshoryu and Onosato won their bouts, with Ukraine’s Aonishiki earning praise for a rare, technical throw.
• The five-day exhibition runs October 15–19 and features roughly 40 top-division rikishi in the first professional sumo event in the UK in 34 years.
• An authentic dohyo was built and blessed in traditional Shinto ceremonies, with specialist staff on site and venue adaptations that included 200kg-rated seating and reinforced toilets.
• English-language explanations led by NHK’s Hiro Morita guided newcomers in the hall, while coverage is available on BBC platforms, DAZN and Pluto TV.
• The field reflects sumo’s global reach, from lighter technicians like Midorifuji to heavyweight Onosato, with strong Mongolian representation and two Ukrainians competing.