Yokozuna Hakuho took out Bulgarian maegashira Aoiyama to breeze to a fifth straight victory as the co-leading Mongolian pack was trimmed to three at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday.
On a day when injured yokozuna Harumafuji withdrew from the 15-day basho at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, Hakuho wasted no time in hauling down Aoiyama (2-3) to retain his share of the lead at 5-0 with fellow yokozuna Kakuryu and 10th-ranked maegashira Ichinojo.
Hakuho is looking a strong bet to secure a 31st career title that would leave him one from tying the all-time record of 32 held by sumo legend Taiho.