And then there were three.
Makuuchi division debutante Tobizaru won a showdown with fellow maegashira-ranked wrestler Wakatakakage on Thursday to remain tied with ozeki Takakeisho and sekiwake Shodai at 10-2 as leaders of the anything-goes Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament through 12 days at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
In a clash between wrestlers with 9-2 records, No. 14 maegashira Tobizaru was on the defensive when he sidestepped No. 8 maegashira Wakatakakage and pushed down on his head, causing him to spin around and step out of the ring.
Takakeisho, among the pre-tournament favorites in the absence of the two yokozuna, picked up his 10th win without a fight as komusubi Endo (3-9) defaulted their match.
Shodai stayed in the mix by bulling out No. 5 maegashira Takarafuji, assuring double-digit wins for the second consecutive tournament and setting himself up for earning promotion to ozeki at the next tournament in November.
The lead group will be reduced to two at most on Friday as Takakeisho and Shodai have been paired together.
Wakatakakage was left in a group of three at 9-3 that includes ozeki Asanoyama, who has won nine straight matches after dropping three to start the tournament. Asanoyama had a back-and-forth bout against sekiwake Daieisho before he shoved down his opponent to hand him his makekoshi eighth loss.
The third wrestler in the trail group with nine wins is No. 9 maegashira Onosho, who all but ended No. 1 maegashira Terunofuji's bid for a second straight championship by dealing the Mongolian former ozeki his fourth loss.
Terunofuji can find some consolation in the fact that he will almost certainly be promoted back into the sanyaku -- the three ranks below yokozuna -- as both komusubi are already assured of losing records.
That would be just another chapter in his amazing comeback in which injuries and illness saw him plunge from the second-highest rank in the sport to the second-lowest division, only to claw his way back up the rankings, culminating with his unlikely championship at the July tournament.
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