Before the strike of the final wooden clapper, Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho was already locked into his hyper-focused zenlike state.
Kitataiki (1-6) became the object of his wrath in a controlled display of force once the day's final bout at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament got under way on Saturday.
Hakuho improved his unblemished mark to 7-0, Baruto stayed in a dead heat with the yokozuna but Kotooshu was sent tumbling to his first defeat as week one of the 15-day meet wrapped up in front of a packed house at Ryogoku Kokugikan.