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Akebono holds lead
in New Year sumo;
chase pack thins

TOKYO, Jan. 14 (Kyodo) - Yokozuna Akebono ran out No. 2 maegashira Kotonowaka on Friday to extend his winning streak to six and remain the sole unbeaten leader in the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.

Fellow yokozuna Takanohana, meanwhile, backed winless Asanowaka out of the ring at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo for his fifth win against one loss to head up a chase pack that includes former ozeki Takanonami and sekiwake Musoyama.

In Friday's final bout, Akebono stood Kotonowaka up at the face-off with two hands to the maegashira's chin and then threw his 230 kilograms into forward gear to chase the former sekiwake out of the ring.

Kotonowaka, who has won only two of his 25 meetings with Akebono, slipped to 3-3 in the tourney.

Just prior to the finale, Takanohana eased out Asanowaka for his 599th career win in the makuuchi division, tying him with former yokozuna great Kashiwado for eighth all-time for most wins in the elite division.

Former yokozuna Chiyonofuji, who now heads the Kokonoe stable, tops the list with 807 wins, while maegashira ironman Terao leads active wrestlers with 602 victories. Terao (3-3) lost by frontal force-out Friday to Shikishima (3-3).

In an all-sekiwake encounter, Takanonami wrapped up Tochiazuma (3-3) with a tight belt-and-arm control and muscled out the Tamanoi stable sparkplug for his fifth win - halfway to the 10 he needs this tournament to regain ozeki status.

Musoyama, the Musashigawa stable's best remaining hope for a sixth straight tournament championship, avoided being pulled down at the face-off and shoved out Toki (1-5) to stay at the heels of Akebono.

Also at 5-1 after Friday's bouts, Kyokutenho narrowly defeated Shikishima (2-4), when the heel of the fifth-ranked wrestler brushed out of the ring just prior to when the No. 13 maegashira from Mongolia stepped out as they circled along the straw boundary.

Chiyotenzan, a No. 11 maegashira coached by the former Chiyonofuji, also picked up a fifth win by driving out Kinkaiyama (3-3) in an early bout.

Both ozeki, meanwhile, evened their records at 3-3 as Dejima bulldozed out top maegashira Kotoryu (2-4) and Chiyotaikai side-stepped the charge of Tosanoumi and slapped the komusubi down to his fourth loss.

Mongolia's Kyokushuzan went down to his fifth defeat when lightweight Hamanoshima (2-4) picked up the former komusubi's right leg and walked him out of the ring.

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Results of 6th-day bouts at
New Year Grand Sumo
Tournament

TOKYO, Jan. 14 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts Friday, the sixth day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division wrestler):

Won Technique Lost

+Hayateumi 5-1 yorikiri Ohinode 1-5
Chiyotenzan 5-1 yorikiri Kinkaiyama 3-3
Takatoriki 1-5 hatakikomi Otsukasa 1-5
Takanowaka 4-2 uwatenage Kaiho 3-3
Oikari 4-2 hatakikomi Minatofuji 3-3
Kyokutenho 5-1 yorikiri Tamakasuga 2-4
Asanosho 4-2 hikiotoshi Tokitsuumi 4-2
Hamanoshima 2-4 yorikiri Kyokushuzan 1-5
Shikishima 3-3 yorikiri Terao 3-3
Wakanoyama 4-2 oshidashi Tochinonada 4-2
Akinoshima 4-2 okuridashi Aogiyama 1-5
Miyabiyama 4-2 oshidashi Kotonishiki 1-5
Kaio 4-2 tsukiotoshi Higonoumi 2-4
Musoyama 5-1 oshidashi Toki 1-5
Takanonami 5-1 yorikiri Tochiazuma 3-3
Dejima 3-3 oshidashi Kotoryu 2-4
Chiyotaikai 3-3 tsukiotoshi Tosanoumi 2-4
Takanohana 5-1 yorikiri Asanowaka 0-6
Akebono 6-0 oshidashi Kotonowaka 3-3

Main bouts for 7th day of New Year Grand Sumo Tournament

TOKYO, Jan. 14 (Kyodo) - Makuuchi division bouts for Saturday, the seventh day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division):

Yotsukasa x - x Ohinode
Chiyotenzan 1 - 2 Tokitsuumi
Takatoriki 1 - 0 Kyokutenho
Kinkaiyama 0 - 1 Minatofuji
Kaiho 0 - 0 Oikari
Takanowaka 0 - 0 Asanosho
Tamakasuga 9 - 6 Aogiyama
Kyokushuzan 0 - 0 Otsukasa
Wakanoyama 0 - 1 Shikishima
Hamanoshima 9 - 8 Terao
Tochinonada 3 - 4 Akinoshima
Higonoumi 0 - 3 Miyabiyama
Toki 0 - 2 Tochiazuma
Kotonowaka 15 - 27 Takanonami
Musoyama 3 - 2 Kotoryu
Asanowaka 2 - 1 Chiyotaikai
Dejima 5 - 8 Kaio
Tosanoumi 4 - 9 Akebono
Takanohana 33 - 14 Kotonishiki

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Results of main sumo bouts

TOKYO (AP) - Results of main bouts Friday, the sixth day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena:

Winners Losers

Hayateumi (juryo) (5-1) Ohinode (1-5)
Chiyotenzan (5-1) Kinkaiyama (3-3)
Takatoriki (1-5) Otsukasa (1-5)
Takanowaka (4-2) Kaiho (1-5)
Oikari (4-2) Minatofuji (3-3)
Kyokutenho (5-1) Tamakasuga (2-4)
Asanosho (4-2) Tokitsuumi (4-2)
Hamanoshima (2-4) Kyokushuzan (1-5)
Shikishima (2-4) Terao (3-3)
Wakanoyama (4-2) Tochinonada (4-2)
Akinoshima (4-2) Aogiyama (1-5)
Miyabiyama (4-2) Kotonishiki (1-5)
Kaio (4-2) Higonoumi (2-4)
Musoyama (5-1) Toki (1-5)
Takanonami (5-1) Tochiazuma (3-3)
Dejima (3-3) Kotoryu (2-4)
Chiyotaikai (3-3) Tosanoumi (2-4)
Takanohana (5-1) Asanowaka (0-6)
Akebono (6-0) Kotonowaka (3-3)

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Juryo Division

Aminishiki (4-2) Sentoryu (1-5)
Sunaoumi (3-3) Hoshitango (2-4)

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Junior Divisions:

Makushita

Wakaazuma (1-2) Aranonami

Sandanme

Hokuryu Kaihakusan (1-2)
Terusegawa Azumaoh (0-3)
Wakatenyu Kasugaoh (2-1)

Jonidan

Kitakasuga (2-1) Takakimura
Daibanjaku (2-1) Hokutoryu

(Junior division wrestlers have only seven bouts during the tournament. Records of foreign wrestlers' opponents were not available.)

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Saturday's main bouts:

Yotsukasa Ohinode
Chiyotenzan Tokitsuumi
Takatoriki Kyokutenho
Kinkaiyama Minatofuji
Kaiho Oikari
Takanowaka Asanosho
Tamakasuga Aogiyama
Kyokushuzan Otsukasa
Wakanoyama Shikishima
Hamanoshima Terao
Tochinonada Akinoshima
Higonoumi Miyabiyama
Toki Tochiazuma
Kotonowaka Takanonami
Musoyama Kotoryu
Asanowaka Chiyotaikai
Dejima Kaio
Tosanoumi Akebono
Takanohana Kotonishiki

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Results in Scoreboard

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Kyodo News Service