Mongolian ozeki Hakuho suffered a shock defeat at the hands of countryman Asasekiryu on Sunday, seeing his hopes for yokozuna promotion take a dent on the first day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Hakuho appeared to have the bout under control after the faceoff, keeping his komusubi opponent at arm's length with well-measured thrusts, but lost his balance and fumbled forward before Asasekiryu quickly shoved him out from behind in the day's penultimate bout at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
It was an ominous start for Hakuho, who is aiming to win his second straight title and become only the third wrestler in the modern sumo era to gain promotion to sumo's ultimate rank in just his second basho at ozeki.
Yokozuna Asashoryu, meanwhile, bounced back from an elbow injury layoff at the summer meet in May, disposing of 20-year-old rising-star Kisenosato in the day's final bout.