OSAKA -- Struggling yokozuna Takanohana was dropped by top maegashira Shikishima for his third loss while big brother Wakanohana kept up his perfect record with a dominating win over Ganyu at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Wednesday. Isle sumotori advance
Third-ranked maegashira Ganyu sprang to his left at the face-off but it hardly fazed ozeki Wakanohana as he quickly seized his foe's belt and marched out to victory.
Wakanohana is the early co-leader with a 4-0 record along with No. 9 maegashira Minatofuji, who made a pancake out of eighth-ranked maegashira Oginishiki in a one-sided bout.
Musashimaru, or Fiamalu Penitani from Hawaii, aiming for promotion to sumo's highest rank, showed good patience and excellent lower-body movement to pull down wily veteran and No. 2 maegashira Akinoshima to his second loss. Musashimaru is now 3-1.
Hawaii-born Akebono, or Chad Rowan, outgunned up-and-coming top maegashira Chiyotaikai in a fierce contest of pushing and thrusting to even his record at 2-2. Ozeki Takanonami, however, took his second loss at the hands of hard-shoving third-ranked maegashira Tochinonada.
Cushions whizzed down from the rafters of the packed house at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium as Shikishima -- facing a yokozuna for the first time -- used a strong right-hand grip to shock Takanohana with a force-out victory.
''It's like a dream. I tried to go forward like my stablemaster told me. I can't believe it,'' an exhausted Shikishima said afterward. It was his first win after three straight losses.
Takanohana got a grip of Shikishima's sash but was in no position to lug his opponent out. The yokozuna's 1-3 tally is his worst in over two years and suggested that he has not fully recovered from a bout of bronchitis suffered at the January tournament in Tokyo.
In an intriguing match-up between former ozeki candidates, sekiwake Musoyama bulldozed komusubi Kaio out of the ring to improve his record to 2-2. Kaio fell to the same mark after opening with back-to-back wins over the two yokozuna.
Holding a perfect 3-0 record at the start of the day, feisty No. 4 maegashira Takatoriki was dazed by a clash of heads at the face-off in his bout with fifth-ranked maegashira Kotoryu and slipped to his first defeat.