Sekiwake Shodai moved to within one win of his maiden top-division championship by overpowering ozeki Asanoyama at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday.
With one day of action left at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the 28-year-old from the Tokitsukaze stable leads the field outright with 12 wins and two defeats, after joint overnight leader Tobizaru (11-3) lost to ozeki Takakeisho (11-3).
In the penultimate bout of Day 14, Shodai (12-2) battered Asanoyama (10-4) with an opening shoulder blast, then spun the powerfully built ozeki sideways before pushing him down at the edge.