Hakuho put one hand on his first Emperor's Cup since March as the yokozuna outclassed Kisenosato with two days left at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Friday.
In the bat of an eyelash, Hakuho bulldozed ozeki Kisenosato (9-4) en route to his 12th victory. A win over ozeki Kakuryu — who the Mongolian holds a 23-2 career record against — on Saturday will give him his first title since the Spring Basho in Osaka.
Sixth-ranked maegashira Kyokutenho seized a matchup of 9-3 wrestlers against Tochiozan, tossing the No. 1 to keep his outside title hopes alive in what has become a two-horse race for the year's last championship.