Sekiwake Hoshoryu and No. 13 maegashira Oho moved into a two-way tie for the lead, while ozeki Takakeisho fell a further win off the pace on an action-packed Monday at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
Hoshoryu took care of one of his more troublesome recent opponents, No. 4 Sadanoumi, after Oho defeated No. 11 Onosho to improve to 8-1 on Day 9 at Fukuoka Kokusai Center.
The two other overnight leaders, No. 1 Takayasu and No. 9 Abi, dropped down a rung at 7-2 before Takakeisho stumbled to 6-3 with his loss to komusubi Tobizaru.
Demotion-threatened "kadoban" ozeki Shodai (4-5) was pushed out by komusubi Daieisho (4-5), while sekiwake Mitakeumi (4-5) was forced out by No. 4 Wakamotoharu (5-4) and must win all his remaining bouts at the meet to earn automatic promotion back to ozeki.
Having thrilled fans in Fukuoka with his array of winning techniques, Hoshoryu dispatched Sadanoumi (4-5) in somewhat anticlimactic fashion, dodging his opening charge and slinging him down from behind.
The 23-year-old nephew of Mongolian former yokozuna Asashoryu, who had lost three earlier meetings with Sadanoumi, said he was "happy" with the victory that ensured a winning record in all six of this year's grand tournaments.
"I've been moving well," said Hoshoryu, who avoided directly mentioning the championship race. "I'll just take it one day at a time and maintain my concentration."
The 22-year-old Oho, who is the son of former sekiwake Takatoriki and the grandson of former yokozuna Taiho, continued his impressive run of results with a rear push-out against former komusubi Onosho (5-4).
In the day's closing bout, Tobizaru (5-4) took Takakeisho out of his preferred style by turning the contest into a slap fight. The komusubi kept moving forward as the pair traded blows, eventually pushing the ozeki over the straw bales.
Former sekiwake Abi was thrust down by No. 5 Nishikifuji (7-2), and former ozeki Takayasu was forced out by one of the local favorites, No. 2 Meisei (5-4), who has also beaten both current ozeki at the 15-day meet.
Related coverage:
Sumo: Hoshoryu, Takayasu among 4 wrestlers with midway Kyushu lead
Sumo: Hoshoryu beats Wakamotoharu, stays tied for lead on Day 7
Sumo: Joint leader Hoshoryu flaunts footwork in win over Daieisho
