Sole yokozuna Terunofuji kept his place among the leading pack at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament with a hard-fought win over rank-and-file grappler Endo on Monday.
Gunning for his second straight Emperor's Cup and eighth overall, the Mongolian-born yokozuna improved to 7-2 by pushing out No. 5 maegashira Endo (2-7) in the final bout of Day 9 at Nagoya's Dolphins Arena.
Terunofuji kept his composure after being driven all the way back to the edge by Endo, wrenching the maegashira off balance and shoving him out of the dohyo.