Yokozuna Terunofuji overcame a desperate effort from demotion-threatened ozeki Takakeisho on Friday at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament to close on his 10th career championship.
With his two maegashira pursuers, No. 6 Takanosho and No. 12 Churanoumi, winning their earlier bouts to improve to 10-3 at Dolphins Arena, Terunofuji (12-1) needed a victory to take his two-win lead into the weekend and move within a single win of the title.
After being pushed backward at the jump, Takakeisho (5-8) twice attempted to pull the yokozuna down. The second attempt offered the ozeki a chance to swing Terunofuji off balance by one arm.
The yokozuna, however, handled the counterattack without skipping a beat. When Takakeisho leaned too far forward with yet another attempted pulldown, Terunofuji floored him with an emphatic "hatakikomi" slap down.
Takakeisho, a four-time champion, will now be demoted to sekiwake, sumo's third-highest rank, for failing to reach eight wins in consecutive tournaments as an ozeki.
Takanosho handed Kirishima his sixth loss, ending the sekiwake's bid for a 10-win automatic re-promotion to ozeki in the first tournament following his demotion.
Kirishima made good forward progress on his opening charge, but failing to keep his opponent squarely in front of him proved fatal.
Takanosho absorbed the blow, shifted left, and shoved Kirishima to one side. The sekiwake's forward momentum carried him past Takanosho, who then set upon him from the side and forced him out.
Churanoumi needed a pinch of luck to earn his 10th win. In a frenetic shoving and slapping battle that swirled around the ring, komusubi Daieisho (7-6) found himself on the losing end, shoved out from behind after losing his footing on the sandy surface.
Ozeki Kotozakura (8-5) suffered his third straight loss, forced out by sekiwake Abi (7-6), while sekiwake Onosato (8-5) won by default following the withdrawal of title-contending ozeki Hoshoryu (9-4).
Related coverage:
Sumo: Terunofuji overwhelms Kirishima to win 10 straight at Nagoya
Sumo: Terunofuji fends off Daieisho for 9th straight win at Nagoya
Sumo: Terunofuji seals winning record after 8 straight wins at Nagoya
