Ozeki Shodai and No. 1 maegashira Daieisho both fashioned wins on Friday to retain their share of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament lead after 13 days.
Shodai, seeking his second Emperor's Cup, made a promising drive but decided to resort to a pull-down attempt against Takanosho (7-6), who countered to force the ozeki all the way back to the opposite edge of the ring at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
With one foot on the straw bales, Shodai's forceful slap down saw the sekiwake touch the sandy surface an instant before Shodai's backward momentum carried him out. The ozeki's narrow win was only confirmed after a discussion by ringside judges.