Yokozuna Kakuryu and Hakuho each earned their third straight wins at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday to maintain their share of the lead.
In the final bout of the day at Dolphins Arena, Kakuryu easily dispatched top-ranked maegashira Asanoyama (1-2) in their first meeting in the top division. The Mongolian wrapped up Asanoyama by his arm and expertly swung May's champion down to the clay.
Hakuho survived an aggressive attack from No. 1 Hokutofuji (0-3) to stay on track in his pursuit of a record-extending 43rd top-division title. Hokutofuji had chased the yokozuna around the ring while denying a belt hold, aiming for a sixth kimboshi prize for downing a yokozuna.