Ozeki Kisenosato outlasted Gagamaru to maintain his share of the lead, while yokozuna Hakuho stayed in touch with the early pacesetters with a third win at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Wednesday.
Kisenosato had to dig deep into his energy reserves but still had too much gumption for the Georgian No. 2 maegashira, forcing him over the straw bales to preserve his prefect start. Gagamaru dropped to 1-3.
Kisenosato, fellow ozeki Kotoshogiku and three lower-ranked wrestlers improved to 4-0 on a day when Estonian Baruto was the only one among the six ozeki to bite the dust at Ryogoku Kokugikan.