Yokozuna duo close
as Dejima slips up
at Kyushu sumo

Kyodo News Service

FUKUOKA -- Yokozuna pair Takanohana and Musashimaru circled like sharks Thursday as ozeki Dejima failed to put daylight between himself and the chasing pack at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.

Dejima (10-2) had the chance to boost his record to 11-1 in his bout with struggling ozeki Takanonami, but quickly got tangled up in his opponent's Venus-flytrap attack, twisted around and run out from behind in the day's feature bout at Fukuoka Kokusai Center.

Takanonami, who needs to post a majority of wins in the 15-day meet to hang on to his ozeki rank, improved to 6-6 with the win while also leveling his head-to-head record against Dejima to 6-6.

Meanwhile, Takanohana gave Aogiyama (4-8) the vacuum-cleaner treatment as the No. 4 maegashira got sucked in like a dust particle until the yokozuna - chasing his 21st Emperor's Cup but first in over a year - latched onto the belt to chalk up his ninth win.

Musashimaru also finished the day one behind Dejima after an ugly win over fifth-ranked maegashira Toki (8-4).

After a slow-motion charge, both men flopped against each other like a pair of drunks in a dark alley, but the giant Hawaii yokozuna was the first to regain his equilibrium and barged out his opponent to boost his record to 9-3.

Komusubi Tosanoumi, who went 12-3 in Kyushu last year, missed a chance to steal a match on the two grand champions as he slipped up against sekiwake Kaio.

Both men came in hard at the charge, but Kaio spotted an opening during the few moments of inertia that followed and dragged Tosanoumi down to his third loss, improving his own record to 8-4 in the process.

Dropping out of the title race, ozeki Chiyotaikai looked like unhinging Musoyama's head from his shoulders in their bout, but took his foot off the pedal and was shoved out by the tough komusubi, leaving both wrestlers at 8-4.

Sekiwake Tochiazuma suffered a similar fate as he was tipped over by top-ranked maegashira Miyabiyama (6-6) and left the ring nursing an 8-4 record.

Mongolian No. 3 maegashira Kyokushuzan was catapulted out by ninth-ranked Asanowaka (7-5) and fell to 3-9, but compatriot Kyokutenho, a No. 8 maegashira, notched his fifth win by squashing 13th-ranked Ohinode (7-5).

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Results of main bouts on
12th day of Kyushu sumo

FUKUOKA -- Results of makuuchi division bouts Thursday, the 12th day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at Fukuoka Kokusai Center (+ denotes juryo division wrestler):

Won -- Technique -- Lost

Daizen 4-8 -- yorikiri -- +Hayateumi 5-7
Otsukasa 6-6 -- hikiotoshi -- Takanowaka 7-5
Kyokutenho 5-7 -- yoritaoshi -- Ohinode 7-5
Tokitsuumi 8-4 -- yorikiri -- Chiyotenzan 7-5
Minatofuji 6-6 -- uwatedashinage -- Kaiho 7-5
Tochinonada 8-4 -- yorikiri -- Higonoumi 6-6
Wakanoyama 5-7 -- hatakikomi -- Hamanoshima 6-6
Kotoryu 7-5 -- yorikiri -- Shikishima 7-5
Kotonowaka 5-7 -- default -- Wakanosato 5-7
Asanowaka 7-5 -- oshidashi -- Kyokushuzan 3-8
Terao 4-8 -- sotogake -- Asanosho 2-10
Kotonishiki 5-7 -- yorikiri -- Takatoriki 2-10
Akinoshima 3-9 -- hatakikomi -- Tamakasuga 2-10
Kaio 8-4 -- katasukashi -- Tosanoumi 9-3
Miyabiyama 6-6 -- hatakikomi -- Tochiazuma 8-4
Musoyama 8-4 -- yorikiri -- Chiyotaikai 8-4
Takanonami 6-6 -- okuridashi -- Dejima 10-2
Musashimaru 9-3 -- yorikiri -- Toki 8-4
Takanohana 9-3 -- yorikiri -- Aogiyama 4-8

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Friday's bouts

+Kitakachidoki x - x Daizen
Ohinode x - x +Oikari
Kaiho 0 - 0 Takanowaka
Hamanoshima 0 - 5 Tochinonada
Asanowaka 4 - 4 Shikishima
Otsukasa 0 - 0 Chiyotenzan
Tokitsuumi 1 - 3 Higonoumi
Minatofuji 1 - 1 Kyokutenho
Wakanoyama 0 - 1 Asanosho
Kyokushuzan 4 - 3 Kotonowaka
Kotoryu 2 - 0 Miyabiyama
Tamakasuga 11 - 7 Takatoriki
Kotonishiki 7 - 10 Tosanoumi
Terao 17 - 20 Akinoshima
Musoyama 7 - 2 Aogiyama
Kaio 3 - 1 Toki
Tochiazuma 5 - 5 Dejima
Chiyotaikai 3 - 4 Takanohana
Musashimaru 26 - 16 Takanonami

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Results in Scoreboard

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Kyodo News Service