Hakuho suffered his second-straight upset loss at the July Grand Sumo Tournament to leave new ozeki Asanoyama tied for the lead with rank-and-file grappler Terunofuji on Thursday.
A day after his first defeat at the hands of komusubi Daieisho, yokozuna Hakuho (10-2) was outmaneuvered by sekiwake Mitakeumi (9-3) and surrendered his place at the front of the pack.
The yokozuna opened the final bout of Day 12 at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan with a powerful face slap and drove Mitakeumi to the edge with a solid belt grip. With Hakuho seemingly set for victory, Mitakeumi pivoted with one foot on the straw to execute a thrust down.