Four wrestlers including sekiwake Hoshoryu and No. 1 maegashira Takayasu maintained their lead midway through the 15-day Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament with victories on Sunday.
In the hunt for his first Emperor's Cup, Hoshoryu (7-1), the nephew of former Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu, displayed his range of attacking tools to outmuscle new komusubi Tobizaru (4-4) at Fukuoka Kokusai Center.
After slapping Tobizaru in the face, Hoshoryu quickly grabbed a left overarm belt hold and attempted an outside leg trip. Tobizaru held on and responded with a foot sweep but Hoshoyu was untroubled, launching a decisive right overarm throw instead to settle the encounter.