No. 8 maegashira Asanoyama, with a little help from sekiwake Tochinoshin, clinched the title at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday, ending the drama a day before U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the matches at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Asanoyama secured his first Emperor's Cup with a day to spare when he defeated ozeki Goeido (9-5) for his 12th win and Tochinoshin followed by beating yokozuna Kakuryu in the final bout of the day. The loss was the fourth for Kakuryu, who, going into the match, was the only wrestler with a mathematical chance of catching Asanoyama.
For Tochinoshin, his victory did more than spoil Kakuryu's hopes of a sixth career title -- it gave him his all-important 10th win, assuring his return to the ozeki rank. The muscular Georgian had lost his previous three matches.
Asanoyama came out on top in a tough bout with Goeido, who first secured Asanoyama's belt and moved the maegashira on the edge. But Asanoyama twisted out of the predicament and turned the tables, bulling the ozeki to the edge before forcing him out.
"I felt the pressure, but it was good that I was able to keep being cool," Asanoyama said in the postbout interview. "I want to do my best in the next tourney."
Asanoyama became the first maegashira-ranked wrestler to win an Emperor's Cup since Tochinoshin did it as a No. 3 maegashira in the New Year basho last year.
A native of Toyama, the 25-year old Asanoyama excelled in amateur sumo at Kindai University, and made his pro sumo debut in the Spring tourney in March 2016.
He went 1-1/2 years without a makekoshi losing record, and was promoted to the uppermost makuuchi division for the Autumn tourney in September 2017.
Tochinoshin went into his bout with Kakuryu with only three wins in 26 career bouts between the two. But he made quick work of the tourney's sole yokozuna, sidestepping on the initial charge and slapping him down.
Tochinoshin becomes the fifth wrestler to regain the ozeki rank in the first tournament following a demotion since 1969, when the current rules were established that 10 wins were needed. Tochiazuma did it twice, at the Autumn 2004 and Spring 2005 tourneys.
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