Ozeki Kotooshu's promotion bid suffered a blow with an opening-day defeat to chief tormentor Aminishiki, while grand champion Asashoryu was also upset at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.
Kotooshu looked like he had already given up before the bout began and Aminishiki read the Bulgarian's body language and wasted no time in working him over the bales at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Kotooshu became the first European wrestler to win an Emperor's Cup at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament in May, replacing yogurt as Bulgaria's most well-known export to Japan in the process.