Hoshoryu claims title as successful London tournament comes to close

Hoshoryu defeated fellow yokozuna Onosato in the final bout of the five-day exhibition Grand Sumo Tournament at London’s Royal Albert Hall to claim the champion’s trophy on Sunday.

The Japan Sumo Association’s first overseas tournament in 20 years proved to be a big hit in the British capital, with roughly 27,000 fans attending over the five sold-out days at the renowned concert venue.

British news outlets and social media were abuzz with images of the giant wrestlers sightseeing around London, where they mingled with local fans and onlookers.

Both grand champions entered the final bout unbeaten in a two-way tie for the lead, meaning the winner would walk away with the title.

Mongolian-born Hoshoryu, 26, used a strong belt grip to spin the 25-year-old Onosato around and usher him out of the ring from behind.

Rank-and-file wrestler Tobizaru started the day with a share of the lead but was knocked out of the race as he lost to komusubi Takayasu. The No. 15 maegashira, whose name translates to “flying monkey,” became a fan favorite in London as the underdog title challenger.

Onosato, who beat Hoshoryu to win the September grand tournament in Tokyo, delivered a brief farewell message in English at a closing ceremony for the first sumo tour to London since 1991.

“Hello everyone. London is great. Thank you and see you again. Goodbye,” said Onosato, keeping his address short and sweet.

Sumo association chief Hakkaku expressed his satisfaction with the tour, hailing it as a huge success.

“It was even better than I expected,” said Hakkaku, formerly yokozuna Hokutoumi. “I’m overwhelmed with emotion. It feels like sumo has been broadcast to the world.”

The London tournament featured wrestlers from the elite makuuchi division and was the sumo association’s 14th overseas tour. The first was to Moscow and Khabarovsk in what was then the Soviet Union in 1965, while the most recent was to Las Vegas in 2005.

© KYODO