Kisenosato suffered a devastating third consecutive defeat at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday, leaving him in a continual downward spiral and four wins behind undefeated yokozuna Kakuryu.
Kakuryu is tied at 5-0 with three others, including sekiwake Mitakeumi, in the early lead in his bid for his first championship since the 2016 November meet.
Kisenosato (1-4) and Kakuryu are both making their comebacks from injury after missing all or part of the past four tournaments. However, they suffered mixed fates on the fifth day of the 15-day meet at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.