Mongolian ozeki Harumafuji kicked
off his third bid for promotion to sumo”s highest rank of yokozuna with a
powerful, if hesitant, win over Bulgarian komusubi Aoiyama on the opening day
of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.

Grand champion Hakuho, meanwhile, dodged a bullet in the
day”s finale against Tochinoshin before manhandling the Georgian komusubi in
dominant fashion for a first-day win at the 15-day meet at Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Harumafuji, who won the Nagoya meet in July with a perfect
15-0 record for his third career title, let his opponent do all the thrusting
at first and stepped back once before getting a left hand on top of Aoiyama”s
mawashi for a comfortable frontal takeout.

Hakuho, seeking his 23rd career title and first in three
meets, was never fooled by Tochinoshin who jumped sideways to the right, and
the yokozuna pulled his opponent off-balance to switch to a favored
right-leaning stance before escorting him over the straw bales.

Bulgarian Kotooshu dispensed with Russian Aran with
minimal fuss in a textbook frontal force out, while fellow ozeki Kakuryu of
Mongolia tossed down the roly-poly Gagamaru by using a pulling overarm throw.

The sole casualty for sumo”s second-highest rank was
Estonian Baruto, who limped off the dohyo after his bout against Brazilian
Kaisei in what clearly should have been a victory for the ozeki.

The referee inexplicably awarded the gumbai to Kaisei,
although video replay showed the Brazilian”s hand smacking the dirt surface
first, and the call stood without a judges” ringside conference.

Kotoshogiku steamrolled Shohozan in a lopsided affair in
the fourth fight by an ozeki, while Kisenosato got his left hand under the
armpit of Myogiryu after stopping once at the ring”s center and charged forward
in a direct frontal pushout.

Asahisho got off to a flying start in his debut in the
elite makuuchi division with a shove out of Tenkaiho. Chiyotairyu, who recently
announced he has been diagnosed with diabetes, was slapped down by veteran
Wakanosato in another early bout.

Kyodo