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Yokozuna
undefeated

Day 1

TOKYO, Jan. 8 (Kyodo) -- Yokozuna and ozeki had a rare upset-free day on the second day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday as they pulled off a string of convincing wins with few scares from lower-ranked opponents.

Musashimaru demolished No. 3 maegashira Kaiho while fellow grand champion Takanohana sent Wakanoyama, also ranked third in the maegashira ranks, sprawling for their second wins in as many days in the 15-day meet at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Musashimaru needed just two devastating shoves to topple Kaiho (0-2) seconds after the face-off before Takanohana, despite lacking the speed and power that brought him 20 Emperor's Cups, neatly put out Wakanoyama (1-1) after some mid-ring tussles.

Joining the yokozuna pair with unbeaten records were ozeki trio Musoyama, Miyabiyama and Chiyotaikai along with four makuuchi grapplers, including up-and-coming Mongolian trickster Asashoryu.

Musoyama barely broke sweat in toppling komusubi Takanowaka (0-2) at the ring's edge, minutes before Miyabiyama unleashed a similar sequence of thrusts and shoves for an easy force-out win against newly promoted sekiwake Wakanosato (1-1).

Chiyotaikai tripped up top maegashira Takanonami (1-1), a veteran former ozeki who showed his old prowess in beating current ozeki Dejima on Sunday.

Dejima bounced back from the opening-day defeat with a force-out win against komusubi Tochinonada (0-2) in a one-sided bout. The other ozeki, Kaio, also notched his first win by walking No. 1 maegashira Tochisakae (0-2) out over the straw ridge.

Newly promoted sekiwake Kotomitsuki, a surprise runner-up in Kyushu in November as a ninth-ranked maegashira, rolled No. 4 maegashira Akinoshima down to the dirt, leaving both wrestlers at 1-1.

In the first-ever makuuchi division meeting between Mongolian wrestlers, Asashoryu drove out his school-day idol Kyokushuzan (0-2) after a slapping duel for his second straight win in his debut in the top flight.

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Results

TOKYO, Jan. 8 (Kyodo) -- Results of makuuchi division bouts Monday, the second day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division wrestler):

Won -- Technique -- Lost

Asanowaka 2-0 -- oshidashi -- +Daizen 1-1
Wakakosho 1-1 -- oshidashi -- Tamarikido 0-2
Daishi 1-1 -- hikiotoshi -- Minatofuji 1-1
Asashoryu 2-0 -- oshidashi -- Kyokushuzan 0-2
Takatoriki 1-1 -- default -- Oginishiki 0-2
Tokitsuumi 2-0 -- hatakikomi -- Kinkaiyama 1-1
Hamanoshima 1-1 -- yorikiri -- Kotoryu 1-1
Kyokutenho 2-0 -- uwatenage -- Chiyotenzan 1-1
Higonoumi 1-1 -- oshidashi -- Tamakasuga 1-1
Tochiazuma 1-1 -- oshitaoshi -- Tochinohana 0-2
Tosanoumi 1-1 -- yorikiri -- Kotonowaka 0-2
Kotomitsuki 1-1 -- shitatedashinage -- Akinoshima 1-1
Kaio 1-1 -- yorikiri -- Tochisakae 0-2
Musoyama 2-0 -- oshitaoshi -- Takanowaka 0-2
Miyabiyama 2-0 -- oshidashi -- Wakanosato 1-1
Dejima 1-1 -- oshidashi -- Tochinonada 0-2
Chiyotaikai 2-0 -- sotogake -- Takanonami 1-1
Musashimaru 2-0 -- tsukitaoshi -- Kaiho 0-2
Takanohana 2-0 -- hatakikomi -- Wakanoyama 1-1

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Juryo Division

Kuniazuma (1-1) Kobo (0-2)

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Junior Divisions:

Makushita

Wakaazuma (1-0) Hoshitango (0-1)
Gokenzan Kasugaoh (0-1)
Tokiyutaka Asasekiryu (0-1)

Jonidan

Takaoh (1-0) Onochikara
Fudoyama (1-0) Fujikawa
Kitakasuga (1-0) Oobayama
Hakuba (1-0) Hidemusashi
Daionji (1-0) Kaisenryu

Jonokuchi

Koryu (1-0) Hoshizakura (0-1)

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

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Tuesday's bouts

Daishi 0 - 0 Wakakosho
Tamarikido 0 - 0 Asashoryu
Takatoriki 8 - 5 Asanowaka
Minatofuji 3 - 6 Tokitsuumi
Hamanoshima 4 - 0 Kinkaiyama
Higonoumi 3 - 4 Kyokushuzan
Tochinohana 0 - 1 Kyokutenho
Kotoryu 2 - 5 Tamakasuga
Tosanoumi 11 - 6 Tochiazuma
Akinoshima 3 - 4 Chiyotenzan
Wakanosato 1 - 0 Wakanoyama
Tochinonada 1 - 5 Chiyotaikai
Kaio 0 - 0 Kotomitsuki
Kaiho 0 - 2 Musoyama
Kotonowaka 0 - 3 Miyabiyama
Dejima 0 - 0 Tochisakae
Takanohana 2 - 0 Takanowaka
Takanonami 18 - 29 Musashimaru

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Ozeki Kaio, Dejima
fall on 1st day
of New Year sumo

TOKYO, Jan. 7 (Kyodo) -- Ozeki Kaio fluffed his lines Sunday as he was dragged down by newly promoted sekiwake Wakanosato and maegashira top gun Takanonami forced out Dejima in two opening day upsets at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.

Yokozuna Takanohana and Musashimaru and the ozeki trio Miyabiyama, Chiyotaikai and Musoyama, however, all kicked off the first tournament of the 21st century at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan with easy wins.

In the day's biggest upset, Kaio failed to get control of Wakanosato's belt following the initial charge and the newly promoted sekiwake got the better of the tussle at the ring's edge to pull the ozeki down for the loss.

Dejima, meanwhile, appeared to have the edge against veteran Takanonami at the face-off and managed to force him to the edge of the ring, but the former ozeki clamped down on Dejima's arms and used the leverage to force the ozeki over the straw bales.

At sumo's ultimate rank of yokozuna, Takanohana seeking to lift his first Emperor's Cup since 1998 used his powerful right-hand grip to secure control of Tochinonada's belt and quickly hauled the komusubi down for the win.

For grand champion Musashimaru, the only other yokozuna in the tourney after Akebono pulled out of the competition with a knee injury, it was just another day at the office as the Samoan-born giant shoved out komusubi Takanowaka.

At ozeki, Chiyotaikai looked fired up against Kotomitsuki, a surprise package at last November's Kyushu tourney whose 13-2 record elevated him to the third highest rank of sekiwake, forcing him out with a windmill of slaps and neck thrusts for an easy win.

Ozeki Miyabiyama wasted little time in barging out top maegashira Tochisakae while stablemate Musoyama, the defending champion in the New Year meet, sent newly promoted komusubi Takanowaka sprawling with a well-timed belt throw.

In earlier bouts, Mongolia's eighth-ranked maegashira Kyokutenho only needed an instant to lock onto Hamanoshima before hauling the ninth-ranked wrestler down to the dirt.

Compatriot Kyokushuzan, however, wrestling as a No. 10 maegashira, fell to an opening-day loss as ninth-ranked Tokitsuumi floored the former komusubi with an underarm throw.

Asashoryu, the third Mongolian grappler in sumo's elite division, made a solid start in his makuuchi debut as the 12th-ranked maegashira barged out No. 13 maegashira Daishi for the win.

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