Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho maintained his lead after beating former ozeki Kotoshogiku on Monday, the ninth day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
The 33-year-old Hakuho, the only yokozuna still in action, beat Kotoshogiku to keep a perfect record at the 15-day meet at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan. He remains on course to extend his record number of makuuchi top-division championships to 42.
After slapping Kotoshogiku's face following the initial charge, the Mongolian yokozuna grabbed the 173-kilogram maegashira by the belt and thrusted him down. It was Hakuho's 56th win over Kotoshogiku (4-5) in 62 bouts.