WOW! That was a really spectacular move by Aonishiki.

A Kainahineri (two-handed arm twist down).

I jumped off my seat!

Image source, Japan Sumo Association

Up next, is a fan favourite.....

The crowd erupts once again for Ura!

Will we see something spectacular again?

That's why people love sumo!

An intense match between Hakuoho and Abi, and it's over in mere seconds.

Abi wins with a great throw.

Image source, Japan Sumo Association

Rachel Flynn
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

There are 82 moves to choose from during a sumo match, with each rikishi known for certain preferences.

I’ve seen both wrestlers grabbing each others’ belt and never letting go, while others have simply lifted their rival outside the ring.

These rikishi aren’t afraid of getting slapped - but the audience audibly winces every time.

Another bout with plenty of slaps.

But in the end, Atamofuji slips and the victory goes to Oho.

Both end up with 2 wins and 3 losses.

Image source, Japan Sumo Association

What a bout between Gonoyama and Wakamotoharu!

A stare down to start with, and a brutal exchange of slaps to follow.

Wakamotoharu wins by yorikiri (frontal force out).

Image source, Japan Sumo Association

Hiradoumi wins with a wonderful kirikaeshi (twisting backward knee trip).

Ichiyamamoto leaves London with 5 losses.

Image source, Japan Sumo Association

The sound of Onokatsu and Kotoshoho meeting each other at the initial charge echoes around the hall.

Onokatsu wins by frontal force out at the edge, getting his winning record in London

Image source, Japan Sumo Association

Rachel Flynn
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

We’re edging closer to finding out who will be crowned the grand champion, as the second half of today’s tournament begins.

During the interval there was chatter in the toilet queues about who that will be.

The top dogs are due in this second half - Onosato, Hoshoryu and Tobizaru.

You can watch that very moment unfold by clicking watch live at the top of this page.

And, whisper it, Emma Watson has been seen posing in the hall with Hello Kitty.

Thomas Fabbri
Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Hiro Morita's enthusiasm turned many casual sumo viewers into sumo fans. Hiro's famous for his catchphrases, often called 'Hiro-isms'.

If you've watched our coverage in the previous days, you might already be familiar with some of them.

It's the final day of the Grand Sumo Tournament here in London.

Will we get a full Hiro Morita bingo from the list below?

• A real David vs Goliath match

• Cream of the crop

• Nobody home

• Proven product

• That's all she wrote

• Top dog

• All sizzle, no steak

• Rank-and-Filer

• Esoteric

• Magician

• It doesn't get any better than this

• All guns blazing

• No extra curricular activities

• It was a dandy

• Firing on all cylinders

• Ran out of real estate

Thomas Fabbri
Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Image source, Thomas Fabbri

Yukimi and Kayo, who are Japanese but live here in London, are watching live sumo for the first time - "Oh, this is very beautiful and very nicely organised. I can't believe this is actually happening outside of Japan.

'It's really very old, it's very awesome." Says Kayo

When asked about if they're surprised to see Londoners embracing Sumo.

Yukimi says - "Oh yeah. It's really, really nice to see those people coming here.

I'm very honoured of showing Japanese culture especially the spirituality."

Rachel Flynn
Reporting from the Royal Albert Hall

Image source, Rachel Flynn

Caroline and Dan have front row seats to the Grand Sumo Tournament and have been following the sport for years - "What I like the most is how much effort they put in.

'They dedicate their whole lives to it, it’s astonishing,” Caroline tells me.

They’re gunning for 26-year-old Mongolian wrestler Hoshoryu and say they’re loving that sumo has come back to the UK.

“We want sumo on the telly all the time!’ Caroline says.

Image source, Getty Images

In Japan, women are forbidden from being part of the professional sumo world.

It dates back to a historical belief that women are considered impure because of their menstrual blood, and denied entry to the space because of this.

Any blood is believed to sully the space - if male wrestlers bleed on the dohyo, it is purified with salt.

While women can and do compete in amateur sumo wrestling around the world, they cannot compete in professional tournaments.

In 2018, Maizuru city mayor Ryozo Tatami collapsed in a sumo ring, and as women rushed in to help, they were ordered to leave by the referee. Local media reports spectators then watched salt being thrown into the ring.

The Japan Sumo Association faced universal condemnation for the referee's actions, and association chief Nobuyoshi Hakkaku apologised for the "inappropriate act".

Flora Drury
BBC News

Image source, Action Images/Reuters

On Thursday night, it was noticeable that some of the wrestlers, or rishiki, got bigger cheers than others.

And arguably one of the biggest was for Ura, a 33-year-old from Osaka who weighs in at 139kg,

But what is it about him? Fan Caspar Eliot, from London, explains:

Stand by Craig, you'll like this next post.

Sumo wrestlers are proverbially big, and often there's an emphasis on the somewhat comical aspect of that.

It's true that rikishi from the top division are massive, weighing 160kg on average. They are, however, elite athletes who train many hours a day to and carefully adjust their bulk in according to their fighting style.

Image source, Sumo Kyokai on X

Here's former wrestler Takakeisho in his last tournament as an active rikishi (September 2024) and at his retirement ceremony earlier this month.

Image source, Will Bowles

Britain's reigning sumo champion has said the Japanese sport is "surging" across the UK as the Grand Sumo Tournament comes to London.

Will Bowles, who competes with Doncaster Sumo Club, said the competition, which is at the Royal Albert Hall this week, was a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to see the world's sumo wrestlers in the UK.

He said: "Clubs have popped up all over the UK, multiple clubs have opened this year. But Doncaster was the first British Sumo Union club and it's blowing up this year. The surge of sumo is crazy."

Mr Bowles, from Grimsby, oversees multiple sumo clubs in the north of England and is the reigning British open weight champion.

After seeing "legendary" sumo wrestler Chiyonofuji Mitsugu on YouTube, Mr Bowles decided to have a go at the sport and discovered the Doncaster club, which was set up by Adam Lloyd in 2012.

To continue reading, click here.

Here are the results from the first round of bouts:

Bout One - Ryuden

Bout Two - Shishi

Bout Three - Asakoryu

Bout Four - Nishikigi

Bout Five - Mitakeumi

Bout Six - Sadanoumi

Bout Seven – Takerufuji

Bout Eight - Daieisho

Bout Nine - Midorifuji

Bout 10 - Oshoma