Resurgent yokozuna Harumafuji picked up where he left off in January with a clinical win over komusubi Tochiozan on the opening day of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka on Sunday.
Harumafuji, who rebounded from a poor showing on his yokozuna debut in November to win the New Year basho with a perfect 15-0 record, kept Tochiozan at bay with a pair of two-handed shoves to the face and picked his spot to send him tumbling with a pulling overarm throw.
Harumafuji made a lackluster 9-6 debut at yokozuna at the Kyushu meet and faced the threat of an enforced early retirement if he had posted an equally dismal record at the New Year basho two months ago.