Kotoshogiku made a triumphant start to his debut at sumo's second rank of ozeki on Sunday, flattening Tochinoshin at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, the final tournament of 2011.
Kotoshogiku gave his home fans plenty to cheer about with an imperious performance, getting both arms around his second-ranked Georgian opponent and dumping him to the sandy surface at Fukuoka Kokusai Center.
Jostling with Kotoshogiku for center stage, Kisenosato kick-started his ozeki promotion bid by squashing Kyokutenho and lone yokozuna Hakuho also won at the 15-day meet that draws to a close a year that will long be remembered as one of the darkest in sumo's long history.