Ozeki Terunofuji got his yokozuna promotion bid off to a winning start on Sunday at Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, where returning grand champion Hakuho also earned a narrow win.
Terunofuji, who celebrated his return to ozeki in May with his second straight Emperor's Cup, dispatched a tricky opponent in No. 1 maegashira Endo, a title contender until the final day in May.
Endo charged low and cautiously kept him off the long reach of Terunofuji, but the ozeki was undeterred and used his superior frame to steer him to the edge before forcing the rank-and-filer out at Dolphins Arena, tying their personal record at five apiece.