J4 – Enfin une victoire pour Endo !

Yokozuna Kisenosato emptied the tanks yet again and pulled off his fourth consecutive win Wednesday at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.

Kisenosato had to muster all of his strength to take on top-ranked maegashira Kaisei (1-3), the second heaviest wrestler in the top division who boasted a 31-kg weight advantage over Kisenosato.

The two wrestlers locked belts battled to a standstill for much of the 59-second match, before Kisenosato finally stepped on the gas and edged his opponent out.

The Japanese yokozuna earned the win and a bloody nose for his effort, and improved to 12-0 against the Brazilian, who is still looking for his first win against a yokozuna.

All three wrestlers at sumo’s top rank and all three ozeki earned wins on the fourth day of the 15-day tournament at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan.

In the day’s final bout, Kakuryu turned around No. 2 maegashira Yutakayama (0-4) and pushed him over the straw. Hakuho defeated winless Chiyotairyu (0-4), hurling him to the ground with a masterful overarm throw.

Goeido (3-1) and Takayasu (4-0) recorded quick victories against No. 1 maegashira Ikioi (0-4) and komusubi Takakeisho (1-3), as each ozeki easily pulled their respective opponents down after blocking the initial charge.

Komusubi Tamawashi (0-4) had to fight a second straight rematch, this time against ozeki Tochinoshin (3-1).

In their first bout, Tochinoshin went for a fast pull-down but Tamawashi bounced back and pushed the Georgian to the edge of the ring. As Tamawashi made a diving charge, Tochinoshin pulled his opponent down and the wrestlers’ simultaneous fall was deemed too close to call.

The second time around, Tamawashi quickly drove a bloody-faced Tochinoshin to the edge again, but Tochinoshin maneuvered to the side and used the momentum for a thrust-down victory. Tamawashi also lost a rematch against Mitakeumi on Day 3.

Tochinoshin is fighting as a demotion-threatened kadoban ozeki and needs at least eight wins to maintain his status at the next tournament.

Defending champion Mitakeumi (4-0), seeking a second straight top division title and possible ozeki promotion, got the better of Ichinojo (1-3).

Mitakeumi dug in fast against the 227-kg Mongolian and pushed Ichinojo out with a massive effort. The sekiwake pair had split their previous six meetings.

Among the five lower-ranked wrestlers who started the day with spotless records, only No. 9 Hokutofuji and No. 15 Yoshikaze remain undefeated. Fan-favorite No. 3 Endo (1-3) picked up his first win for defeating No. 4 Chiyonokuni (1-3).

Kyokutaisei (1-3), who went 10-5 in his makuuchi division debut in May, withdrew after suffering knee injuries in a bout against No. 10 Daieisho (2-2) on Tuesday.

Kyokutaisei’s stablemaster Tomozuna said there is a possibility the No. 11 maegashira will return to the tournament.

“He was able to do a squat (on Tuesday evening),” Tomozuna said. “We’ll look at the situation in a few days and if he can come back, he might re-enter.”

It is the first time Kyokutaisei has withdrawn from a grand tournament since his professional debut in 2008.

Written by Kyodo