Ichinojo claimed his maiden Emperor's Cup at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday, winning his final match against fellow rank-and-filer Ura before the joint overnight leader, lone yokozuna Terunofuji, lost to ozeki Takakeisho.
The two Mongolian-born contenders were deadlocked at 11-3 entering the final day of the 15-day tournament at Dolphins Arena, where a succession of wrestlers had been forced to withdraw from competition by the coronavirus.
The co-leaders had both lost on the penultimate day, raising the prospect of a tiebreaking bout to determine the winner of the meet.