Musashimaru wins,
ozeki fall

NAGOYA, July 8 (Kyodo) - Yokozuna Musashimaru was all business on Sunday as the firm title favorite lifted komusubi Asashoryu out of the ring while three ozeki tumbled to opening-day defeats in the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.

Musashimaru, the lone grand champion in the 15-day meet after summer tourney champion Takanohana pulled out because of a knee injury, let his experience do the talking as he calmly disposed of the 20-year-old Mongolian rising star at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.

Asashoryu tried to grapple head-on after the face-off but was muscled out of the ring easily in the day's final bout, failing to repeat his upset win over the Samoan-born yokozuna on the first day of the summer tournament.

Ozeki Chiyotaikai, aiming to go better than his 12-3 finish in May, showed little resistance against Wakanosato as he backpedaled straight out of the ring to hand the komusubi returnee a comfortable win.

Sekiwake Tochiazuma gave the crowd another surprise when he pulled Musoyama out of the ring soon after the ozeki precariously came lunging out of the face-off, only to get himself off-balance against the upset-minded Tamanoi stable wrestler.

Also joining the list of upset victims was ozeki Miyabiyama, who got the better of top-ranked maegashira Hayateumi for much of their bout but lacked the finishing touches along the straw ridge in a force-out defeat.

In other feature bouts, Ozeki Kaio and Dejima both battled their ways to victory against maegashira opponents as they try to avoid relegation from sumo's second highest rank after suffering dismal records in May.

Kaio quickly shoved No. 2 Kotonowaka out of the ring while Dejima, who also requires a minimum of eight wins to avoid demotion, was in total command as he thrust and slapped top-ranked Takanonami before lifting him out with an arm maneuver.

Earlier, No. 2 maegashira Higonoumi twisted and tossed sekiwake Kotomitsuki backwards over the edge. Takanowaka backed out Mongolian Kyokushuzan for an easy win in a bout between No. 5 maegashira.

Nagoya day one

NAGOYA, July 8 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts Sunday, the first day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium:

Won Technique Lost
Oginishiki 1-0 yorikiri Minatofuji 0-1
Wakatsutomu 1-0 tsukiotoshi Tokitsuumi 0-1
Aminishiki 1-0 hikiotoshi Asanowaka 0-1
Daizen 1-0 yorikiri Kyokutenho 0-1
Kaiho 1-0 hikiotoshi Kotoryu 0-1
Kitazakura 1-0 yorikiri Jumonji 0-1
Tamanoshima 1-0 yorikiri Chiyotenzan 0-1
Tochinohana 1-0 oshitaoshi Tamakasuga 0-1
Tochisakae 1-0 tsukiotoshi Akinoshima 0-1
Takanowaka 1-0 yorikiri Kyokushuzan 0-1
Tosanoumi 1-0 yoritaoshi Otsukasa 0-1
Tochinonada 1-0 oshidashi Toki 0-1
Higonoumi 1-0 yoritaoshi Kotomitsuki 0-1
Kaio 1-0 oshidashi Kotonowaka 0-1
Dejima 1-0 tsuridashi Takanonami 0-1
Hayateumi 1-0 yorikiri Miyabiyama 0-1
Tochiazuma 1-0 tsukiotoshi Musoyama 0-1
Wakanosato 1-0 oshidashi Chiyotaikai 0-1
Musashimaru 1-0 yorikiri Asashoryu 0-1

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Monday's bouts

Minatofuji 3 - 7 Tokitsuumi
Kyokutenho 1 - 0 Wakatsutomu
Oginishiki 6 - 1 Daizen
Kotoryu 7 - 12 Asanowaka
Aminishiki 0 - 3 Kaiho
Tamakasuga 0 - 0 Kitazakura
Jumonji 0 - 2 Tamanoshima
Kyokushuzan 3 - 2 Chiyotenzan
Tochinohana 3 - 0 Takanowaka
Tosanoumi 12 - 11 Akinoshima
Tochisakae 1 - 1 Otsukasa
Tochiazuma 3 - 0 Toki
Tochinonada 2 - 2 Kotomitsuki
Chiyotaikai 4 - 2 Kotonowaka
Kaio 8 - 4 Higonoumi
Asashoryu 1 - 1 Dejima
Miyabiyama 5 - 1 Wakanosato
Takanonami 20 - 18 Musoyama
Hayateumi 0 - 5 Musashimaru

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Musashimaru wins,
but three ozekis suffer
upset defeats

NAGOYA, Japan (AP) - Hawaiian-born yokozuna (grand champion) Musashimaru shoved out Mongolian Asashoryu for a win but three ozekis (champions) lost their bouts Sunday, the opening of the 15-day Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.

The three ozekis were Chiyotaikai, Musoyama and Miyabiyama.

Yokozuna Takanohana, who won the previous tournament in May, stayed out of the current tournament because of knee injuries.

"In order to wrestle in the best condition, I have decided to work harder to fully recover from my injury" Takanohana said.

Takanohana was injured in a bout with ozeki Musoyama on the 14th day of the previous tournament in May.

Wrestling at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in central Japan, Musashimaru fought off komusubi (junior champion second class) Asashoryu's arm-throw attempts and forced him out of the ring.

Musashimaru, or Fiamalu Penitani from Hawaii, lost to Takanohana in a playoff in the previous tournament and finished at 13-2. Asashoryu, or Mongolian Dolgorsvren Dagvadrj, won his first outstanding performance award for an 8-7 record in that tourney.

Ozeki Kaio fought off No. 2 maegashira (senior wrestler) Kotonowaka's initial charge and dispatched him for the win.

Ozeki Dejima grabbed No. 1 maegashira Takanonami's belt and lifted him out.

Komusubi Wakanosato bulldozed out ozeki Chiyotaikai, who failed to pull Wakanosato down in the initial charge.

Sekiwake (junior champion) Tochiazuma fought off Musoyama's driving attempt at the ring's edge and tossed him down.

No. 1 maegashira Hayateumi forced out Miyabiyama.

In other major bouts, No. 5 maegashira Takanowaka grabbed equally ranked Kyokushuzan's belt and forced him out.

Kyokushuzan, or Mongolian Batbayar Davaa, was promoted to his present rank from the No. 15 maegashira rank for his 11-4 record in the previous tournament.

No. 11 maegashira Daizen, the oldest wrestler in the makuuchi (senior division) at 36, charged equally ranked Kyokutenho with arm slaps and sent him out.

Kyokutenho, or Mongolian Tsevegnyam Nyamjav, finished at 6-9 and fell to the present rank from No. 7 maegashira rank.

In the 26-member juryo division, just below the senior makuuchi division, No. 5-ranked Kuniazuma slapped down No. 6-ranked Sentoryu.

Kuniazuma, or Brazilian Vander Ramos, was promoted to the present rank from No. 8-rank for his 8-7 record in the previous tournament.

Sentoryu, or American Henry Armstrong Miller, fell to the present rank from No. 4 rank for his 7-8 record.

Results of Main Sumo Bouts

NAGOYA, Japan (AP) - Results of main bouts Sunday, the opening day of the 15-day Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium:

Winners Losers
Oginishiki Minatofuji
Wakatsutomu Tokitsuumi
Aminishiki Asanowaka
Daizen Kyokutenho
Kaiho Kotoryu
Kitazakura Jumonji
Tamanoshima Chiyotenzan
Tochinohana Tamakasuga
Tochisakae Akinoshima
Takanowaka Kyokushuzan
Tosanoumi Otsukasa
Tochinonada Toki
Higonoumi Kotomitsuki
Kaio Kotonowaka
Dejima Takanonami
Hayateumi Miyabiyama
Tochiazuma Musoyama
Wakanosato Chiyotaikai
Musashimaru Asashoryu

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Juryo Division

Kunizauma Sentoryu

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Monday's main bouts:

Minatofuji Tokitsuumi
Kyokutenho Wakatsutomu
Oginishiki Daizen
Kotoryu Asanowaka
Aminishiki Kaiho
Tamakasuga Kitazakura
Jumonji Tamanoshima
Kyokushuzan Chiyotenzan
Tochinohana Takanowaka
Tosanoumi Akinoshima
Tochisakae Otsukasa
Tochiazuma Toki
Tochinonada Kotomitsuki
Chiyotaikai Kotonowaka
Kaio Higonoumi
Asashoryu Dejima
Miyabiyama Wakanosato
Takanonami Musoyama
Hayateumi Musashimaru

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