The Japan News/ ANN - Newly promoted ozeki Takakeisho showed little sign of any first-day jitters at his new rank, shoving out No. 2 maegashira Endo on the opening day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday in Tokyo.
Takakeisho deftly kept Endo from gaining a belt hold and, with two massive double-handed shoves, had the maegashira backed to the edge, where he had little trouble finishing the job.
Takakeisho, 22, needed just 28 tournaments from his sumo debut to reach the second-highest rank, tying him for the sixth-fastest ever. He already has an Emperor’s Cup to his credit, having won the Kyushu tournament in November last year.
Yokozuna Kakuryu, looking to take advantage of the absence due to injury of fellow yokozuna Hakuho, was untroubled in pushing out komusubi Mitakeumi.
Ozeki Goeido, coming off a 12-win showing at the previous tournament won by Hakuho, swiftly blasted out No. 1 maegashira Hokutofuji — nearly identical to the way that ozeki Takayasu was defeated by No. 1 maegashira Kotoshogiku, a former ozeki.
Sekiwake Tochinoshin, who was demoted from ozeki as Takakeisho earned his promotion to that rank, lifted up No. 3 maegashira Chiyotairyu by the belt several times before eventually forcing him out.
The simultaneous promotion and demotion of ozeki from the same tournament was the first since September 2000, when Kaio went up and Musoyama went down.
Komusubi Aoiyama marked his return to the sanyaku — the three ranks below yokozuna — after an exasperating 26 tournaments by keeping his feet against the dodge tactics of No. 3 maegashira Tamawashi, and pushing him out of the ring.
