Yokozuna Musashimaru survived a scare before bundling out fourth-ranked maegashira Tochinonada on Sunday to narrowly hang onto his flawless record heading into the second week of Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
Musashimaru improved to 8-0 while rank-and-filer Hayateumi disposed of Mongolian maegashira Kyokushuzan to join the burly grand champion as an unlikely co-leader in the 15-day tourney at Fukuoka Kokusai Center.
Meanwhile, it all went horribly wrong again for relegation-threatened Kaio, while fellow ozeki Musoyama looked just as hapless as the tournament's only two representatives of sumo's second-highest rank tumbled to embarrassing defeats.
Tochinonada (4-4) twice looked to have rocked Musashimaru when he wriggled free of a powerful neck clamp following a prolonged stalemate at mid-ring and seemed close to victory.