On June 14, the Japan Sumo Association wrapped up its second successful overseas trip in the space of less than a year.
Selling out both days at the 15,000-seat Accor Arena in Paris, the JSA built on the momentum generated by last October’s visit to London and continues to reinvigorate interest in Japan’s national sport across Europe.
Inside the ring, Kotozakura was the overall champion, taking home the trophy after downing yokozuna Hoshoryu in a matchup of daily winners.
That was a nice boost for an ōzeki who has mostly struggled to recapture his best form over the past 18 months.
It’s not a result that means much for the upcoming Nagoya basho though, given that bouts in France — as on all regional tours — were essentially demonstrations intended to entertain rather than seriously fought contests.
Outside the ring, one of the more interesting aspects of the Paris tournament was how differently that event was covered, depending on language — particularly when compared to London in 2025.
In the French, Japanese, and English worlds there were three distinct narratives surrounding the trips to Europe.
Given that sumo’s home audience would be well aware of the performative nature of the action in the ring, much of the Japanese-language coverage of both Paris and London focused on the personal side of the sport.
What rikishi did outside the ring, particularly if it involved famous landmarks or unusual locations, received the lion’s share of the attention.
Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower provided the backdrop for some of the most commonly seen images from the jaunts to Europe.
Hakunofuji and Yoshinofuji’s visit to Parc des Princes, home of the two-time defending European soccer champion Paris Saint-Germain, arguably generated more news than the actual Paris Tournament itself — particularly footage of the two young stars kicking a ball around with former PSG star Bernard Mendy and being presented with jerseys bearing their ring names.
Given Japan’s famed obsession with food, it’s no surprise that rikishi trying authentic fish and chips in London, baguettes in Paris and other local delicacies featured heavily as well.
English-language coverage from Paris naturally was at a far lower level than for London, but two common threads could be found in much of the discussion online and on-air.
Perhaps as a result of the Royal Albert Hall’s relentless marketing of London as a real basho, results and performances in the ring were far more hotly debated in English than in Japanese.
Even in Paris, where the pre-event marketing was very different, it was a similar story in English coverage — though generally less emotional in tone than in 2025.
The second thread in English centered around…
