Hakuho and fellow Mongolian yokozuna Kakuryu remained on a collision course at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday as both men pulled out 11th wins to stay tied for the lead.
Hakuho, the most successful yokozuna in sumo history, edged closer to a 35th championship title as he wrapped up the day's action with a comfortable defeat of struggling Kotoshogiku.
Hakuho and Kakuryu, who is back in action after missing the last two tournaments due to injury, have 11-1 records, while newly promoted ozeki and summer basho winner Terunofuji is tied two wins back at 9-3 with ozeki Kisenosato, sekiwake Tochiozan and rank-and-filers Endo and Yoshikaze.
Hakuho wasted no time in taking out Kotoshogiku, increasing the ozeki's relegation fears by sending him down with a katasukashi under-shoulder swing down.
Kotoshogiku (5-7) must now win the rest of his bouts at the 15-day meet at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium to keep his ozeki rank for the next tournament in September.
In the day's penultimate bout, Kakuryu worked Terunofuji up against the edge of the ring bales and, with the ozeki teetering on the straw ridge, used brute strength to pull his compatriot around and floor him with a textbook beltless arm throw.
At ozeki, Goeido (8-4) made sure of a winning record by yanking fourth-ranked maegashira Takekaze down by the back of the neck and Kisenosato followed up in the next bout by barging out komusubi Myogiryu (6-6) to score a ninth win.
Okinoumi (8-4) pulled out a big win to secure a majority of victories, stunning Tochiozan (9-3) with an arm lock throw to deliver another blow to the sekiwake's title hopes.
It was a bad day all round for sumo's third-highest rank as Mongolian sekiwake Ichinojo got slapped down to a ninth defeat against No. 2 maegashira Takayasu (5-7).