Hakuho took another step toward a second straight Emperor's Cup on Wednesday by improving to 4-0 at the July Grand Sumo Tournament, while new ozeki Asanoyama also stayed at the front of the pack with a perfect record.
The sole yokozuna following Kakuryu's withdrawal due an injury, Hakuho beat No. 2 maegashira Takanosho in the final bout on Day 4 of the relocated tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
In their first career face-off, Takanosho (1-3) made strong contact at the jump and managed to push Hakuho backward, but the Mongolian-born grand champion calmly stepped to his left and threw down the rank-and-filer.