FUKUOKA, JAPAN – Yokozuna Kisenosato lost his second straight match in this November’s Grand Sumo Tournament, unable to budge the much smaller Myogiryu.
A 32-year-old native of Hyogo, Myogiryu is just over 20 kilograms lighter than Kisenosato, but managed to withstand the grand champion’s arm lock, eventually gaining a firm hold of Kisenato’s mawashi to earn a victory through yoritaoshi.
The win marks Myogiryu’s third kinboshi and his first since May 2013. That tournament, where he won awards for his technique, began his first rise into the sanyaku. He’s risen up and down the bansuke since then, even falling out of the makuuchi level altogether in 2017, with his steady progress this year bringing him back to the cusp of sumo’s elite tier.
Kisenosato was not the only sanyaku rikishi to fall on Monday, as sekiwake Ichinojo fell to maegashira #2 Tochiozan via hikiotoshi.
Tochiozan and nine other rikishi now stand at 0-2 while 11 of the 39 Makuuchi entrants find themselves at 0-2 after two days of competition.
