Yokozuna Kakuryu went down to defeat on the opening day of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka, while fellow yokozuna Hakuho had little trouble starting off with a victory on Sunday.
Kakuryu, whose sore ankle kept him from being able to move komusubi Mitakeumi, tried to slip to the side. But the komusubi kept his base, and when Kakuryu tried not once but twice to escape the predicament with a full twist, he only ended up being nudged over the edge.
Kakuryu, who withdrew from the previous tournament on the sixth day, is looking for his first title since May 2018 and sixth overall.
Hakuho closed the day's matches by shrugging off an attack by komusubi Hokutofuji, who quickly landed on his hands and knees.
While the performances of the yokozuna take center stage, the spotlight is also on the two sekiwake, the respective winners of the past two tournaments.
Sekiwake Tamawashi, who won his first makuuchi division title at the previous New Year tournament in January, started with a victory over No. 3 maegashira Nishikigi, using a stiff-arm to Nishikigi's face to push him out of the ring.
The other sekiwake, Takakeisho, began his bid for promotion to ozeki by pushing out No. 2 maegashira Myogiryu. Takakeisho won the Kyushu tournament in November last year with a 13-2 record, then went 11-4 at the last tourney.
Ozeki Tochinoshin, whose kadoban status means he needs a majority of wins to retain his rank, slapped down No. 2 maegashira Daieisho, while fellow ozeki Goeido and Takayasu also emerged unscathed.
Terunofuji reemerges
Meanwhile, the handful of spectators who arrived early at Edion Arena to watch the lower divisions witnessed a somewhat historic moment, as former ozeki Terunofuji returned to the ring after a four-tournament absence -- in the jonidan division, the fifth of the six tiers.
The Mongolian, his surgically repaired knees both heavily wrapped, is No. 48 out of 105 ranks in the division, which fights seven times in the 15-day tournament. He slapped down Wakanoguchi as he hopefully begins a rise back up the ranks.
According to the Japan Sumo Association, it marks the first time a former ozeki has taken the ring in a division lower than the third-tier makushita.
The 27-year-old Terunofuji won his lone makuuchi division championship at the Summer tournament in May 2015, which earned him promotion to ozeki. But in 2017, hampered by injuries and later medical problems, he was demoted and continued to slide as he missed successive tournaments.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
