Yokozuna Harumafuji, who won his ninth championship in September, edged compatriot Hakuho for top spot in the newly released rankings for the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
Both men, along with fellow yokozuna Kisenosato and Kakuryu, are expected to participate in the tournament. That's significant as three of the four failed to even make the starting line for the Autumn Basho, which also saw ozeki pair Takayasu and Terunofuji drop out — something that resulted in the latter's demotion to sekiwake.
The recent spate of withdrawals by the top rankers has highlighted what appears to be a growing problem in sumo.