New sekiwake Wakamotoharu suffered an upset loss Friday, as the 15-day Summer Grand Sumo Tournament's leading group was trimmed to three wrestlers, including yokozuna Terunofuji and former ozeki Asanoyama.
On the sixth day at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, Wakamotoharu (5-1) charged forward head down, allowing top-ranked maegashira Abi (3-3) to step aside and swing him down.
Terunofuji, a seven-time champion wrestling for the first time since surgeries on both knees in October, wore down No. 4 Nishikigi (1-5) and flung him down with an armlock throw to retain his share of the lead.
Just as dominant as the yokozuna has been at the top of the rankings, Asanoyama, currently a No. 14 maegashira, continued to cut a swath through the lower rungs of the makuuchi division.
Wrestling in the top division for the first time since May 2021 due to a suspension for violating coronavirus safety rules, Asanoyama continued to be either too quick or too technically skilled for his opponents, and No. 16 Mitoryu (4-2) was no exception.
No. 6 Meisei also improved to 6-0. He skillfully stood up and levered out tricky No. 4 Ura (3-3), who repeatedly tried to go low so he could grab a leg and topple the tournament co-leader.
Away from the leading group, one wrestler, sekiwake Kiribayama (5-1) took another step toward promotion to sumo's second-highest rank of ozeki, while another, Takakeisho earned the fourth of eight wins he needs to avoid relegation to sekiwake.