Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho showed Tochiozan who's boss to take sole possession of the lead on the sixth day of action Friday at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.
Hakuho (6-0) wasted no time in getting to grips with Tochiozan (2-4) in the day's penultimate bout at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Chasing his 27th career title and fourth in a row, Hakuho sat alone at the top after rank-and-filer Yoshikaze was thrust down to his first defeat by No. 5 maegashira Aminishiki.
Yoshikaze and Aminishiki were in a six-way tie for second place at 5-1.
Yokozuna Harumafuji scored a second consecutive win when he got both arms around No. 2 Okinoumi (2-4) and bumped him over the straw ridge to improve to 4-2.
Back at the starting line after the wheels fell off his yokozuna promotion bid early on at the Nagoya basho, Kisenosato (5-1) weathered a series of neck thrusts to knock down second-ranked Aoiyama (1-5).
Also at ozeki, Kotoshogiku (5-1) was in total control in posting a routine force-out win in his meeting against komusubi Takayasu (1-5) and Kakuryu turned the tables on sekiwake Goeido (4-2) at the edge of the ring to stay in the chasing pack.
Kakuryu was awarded the win after ringside judges overturned the referee's initial decision to hand Goeido the victory.
Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu, however, failed to generate enough momentum to see off Shohozan and was muscled out to a second defeat by the No. 1 maegashira, who moved to 3-3.