Lone yokozuna Terunofuji made a faltering start to his quest for an eighth Emperor's Cup on Sunday, losing to komusubi Abi on the opening day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Nagoya's Dolphins Arena welcomed 7,448 fans for the start of the first 15-day grand tournament without restrictions on spectator numbers since January 2020.
A moment of silence was observed for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was killed Friday while giving a campaign speech ahead of a Japanese upper house election.
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In the day's final bout, Mongolian-born grand champion Terunofuji neutralized Abi's thrusting attack and drove him to the edge, but the former sekiwake slipped sideways and executed the reversal by rear push-out.
"I don't really remember what happened but I did my best," said Abi, who earned a "kinboshi" gold star award for beating Terunfoji as a No. 6 maegashira in January.
"I just want to do my style of sumo and stay offensively minded."
Terunofuji was sluggish at the start of the May tourney while coming off knee and heel injuries, but he finished strongly to win the title with a 12-3 record.
His Day 2 opponent in Nagoya will be No. 1 maegashira Kiribayama, who has yet to beat Terunofuji in seven meetings.
Kiribayama made an impressive start to the tournament by outmuscling ozeki Takakeisho. The pair locked up at the jump and jostled for position before the Mongolian-born maegashira forced the ozeki out.
"It was good sumo on my part. I'm just taking it one match at a time," Kiribayama said.
Demotion-threatened "kadoban" ozeki Shodai and Mitakeumi had mixed fortunes while battling to stay at sumo's second-highest rank.
Mitakeumi dispatched No. 1 Takanosho, but Shodai made another disappointing start to a tournament, losing a one-sided contest against No. 2 Kotonowaka.
Coming off a 6-9 performance in May, Mitakeumi moved forward from the jump and kept his footing just long enough to fling former sekiwake Takanosho off the dohyo.
Shodai, who went 5-10 in May, provided little resistance against rising star Kotonowaka. The 24-year-old thoroughbred came in low and hard, blasting Shodai straight back and out from the opening.
"I wanted to apply pressure on the ozeki and I think I was able to do that. I wanted to move forward as well," said Kotonowaka, whose father and maternal grandfather were both elite rikishi.
"I need to do this type of sumo on the remaining days."
Sekiwake Wakatakakage, who won his maiden top-division crown in March, was forced out by No. 2 Ichinojo, who missed May's tourney after testing positive for coronavirus.
A former sekiwake, Ichinojo delivered a strong opening hit and used his 211-kilogram, 1.92-meter frame to lever his opponent over the straw.
Sekiwake Daieisho succumbed to a slap-down against No. 3 Tamawashi, who executed the winning maneuver after being driven back at the jump.
The winner of a single Emperor's Cup, Daieisho is fighting from the third-highest rank for the first time since September 2020.
Komusubi Hoshoryu downed slippery No. 3 Ura with a nicely timed pulldown.
The 23-year-old nephew of Mongolian great Asashoryu has earned winning records in both of his previous tournaments among the three elite "sanyaku" ranks below yokozuna.
No. 17 Nishikifuji, champion of the second-tier juryo division in May, was victorious in his maiden top-division bout, pushing out No. 16 Daiamami.
Former ozeki and current No. 4 Takayasu is out for the entire tournament, along with the rest of his Tagonoura stable, because of COVID-19.
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