Kisenosato took one giant step toward gaining promotion to ozeki with a thrashing of Tochinowaka on the 14th day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday.
Needing to win his final two bouts at the 15-day meet for a realistic shot at sumo's second highest rank, Kisenosato kept his cool as he plugged Tochinowaka (7-7) with a salvo of hard thrusts before sending his No. 4 maegashira opponent fleeing over the edge into the ringside seats to improve to 10-4 at Fukuoka Kokusai Center.
Sekiwake Kisenosato posted 22 wins over the last two basho. Under the Japan Sumo Association's loosely defined guidelines, 33 wins over three consecutive tournaments are the minimum requirement for promotion to ozeki.