Yokozuna Hakuho flattened new komusubi Asanoyama on Tuesday to recover from his first loss of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, while a trio of rank-and-filers jumped out into the lead.
Hakuho (2-1) took charge from the start of the final bout on the third day of the meet in Fukuoka, drilling Asanoyama (2-1) back before twisting him down and landing on May's champion for good measure.
The Mongolian-born yokozuna had his record blemished after stepping out of the ring against top-ranked maegashira Daieisho on Monday.