Hakuho outfoxed Tochiozan to make a winning start in his bid for a 25th career title on Sunday, while yokozuna rival Harumafuji also won handsomely on the opening day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
Hakuho won the spring meet in March with a flawless 15-0 record, and the Mongolian powerhouse picked up exactly where he left off in the day's finale at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Tochiozan made a fist of it and worked Hakuho up against the straw ridge after the tachiai, but the yokozuna's class shone through as he picked his moment and countered to charge the komusubi out of the dohyo.