Sumo: Onosato stunned, Hoshoryu falls again as both yokozuna beaten
Onosato (3-1) thought he was heading to another routine win as he drove forward against Oho (1-3) but lacked a final push, backed off in the face of the No. 2 maegashira's counter before getting shoved out surprisingly easily in front of a stunned crowd at the newly built IG Arena.
It came after another loss for Mongolian-born Hoshoryu (1-3), who found himself on the back foot straight from the off in the face of ferocious shoves to throat and chest from Abi (3-1), but appeared to have rescued an unlikely win as he tried to stay inside the ring with his left toe on the straw.
No. 2 maegashira Abi stepped out attempting to push the yokozuna out, and the referee initially named Hoshoryu the winner. But a replay showed his heel hit the sand outside the ring before Abi, and the ringside judges overturned the decision.
Evergreen Mongolian-born Tamawashi (4-0) continued his perfect start after the 40-year-old went head-on against up-and-coming Hakuoho (2-2) and overpowered his fellow No. 4 maegashira, 19 years his junior, in a gutsy push-out win.
Tamawashi, whose 1,700-plus consecutive appearances since his March 2004 debut is a record in the ancient sport, also moved third with his 1,066 straight outing in the elite makuuchi division.
Sekiwake Kirishima (4-0) opted to take time but was never troubled in grappling out his fellow Mongolian-born wrestler Oshoma (0-4) as the former ozeki left the komusubi debutant still without a victory.
No. 8 maegashira Ichiyamamoto (4-0) pushed down tricky No. 9 maegashira Ura (3-1) in a battle of unbeaten wrestlers, while former ozeki Mitakeumi (4-0), back in makuuchi as No. 16 maegashira after a meet in second-tier juryo in May, also won to stay perfect.
Lone ozeki Kotozakura (2-2) evened his mark after outlasting No. 1 maegashira Wakamotoharu (1-3) in a 1-minute, 16-second marathon to secure a force-out win.
Ukrainian Aonishiki (3-1) remained razor-sharp on the back of his emphatic win over Hoshoryu a day earlier as the No. 1 maegashira's low drive and fierce shoves left Wakatakakage (2-2) with no answer. The sekiwake, who went 12-3 in May, was shoved out to his second straight defeat.
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