Ozeki Shodai handed Takayasu his second loss of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Wednesday, cutting the outright leader's buffer to a single victory.
But the action inside the ring on Day 11 at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan was overshadowed by the retirement of Mongolian-born yokozuna Kakuryu, who decided to bring down the curtain after missing a fifth straight tournament due to injury.
The 35-year-old winner of six grand tournaments has dealt with long-term elbow and lower back problems, and pulled out before the start of the current 15-day meet with a left hamstring strain.