No. 13 maegashira Aoiyama is putting together a strong push for his first championship in the makuuchi division, and he stands alone at the top after Thursday's action at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka.
The big Bulgarian pushed out No. 3 maegashira Mitakeumi (9-3) to post his 11th victory, and yokozuna Hakuho later lost, leaving one-loss Aoiyama as the tournament leader.
Aoiyama maneuvered his opponent near the bales, but Mitakeumi escaped momentarily before the 193-kilogram Aoiyama, who takes on No. 9 maegashira Takanosho on Friday, stalked him and pushed him out.
Meanwhile, Hakuho (10-2) seemed to be in charge in his bout against Shodai (6-6), but the sekiwake withstood the yokozuna's slaps and pushed the all-time winningest wrestler over the edge for a surprise victory.
Sekiwake Asanoyama (10-2) stayed one off the lead with a victory with a strong showing against Takanosho. Asanoyama, who meets Hakuho on Day 13, controlled the bout from the jump-off, working Takanosho to the bales and winning when the No. 9 maegashira stumbled as he tried a sidestep move.
In the day's final bout, yokozuna Kakuryu took down komusubi Endo (6-6) for his 10th victory. The yokozuna, one of three wrestlers with 10 wins, grabbed Endo quickly after the start-off and twisted him to the surface to stay relevant in the title chase.
Struggling Takakeisho, the lone ozeki at the basho, evened his record with a victory over No. 5 maegashira Ryuden.
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