The Mongolian-born yokozuna charged out of the gates in the final bout at Edion Arena Osaka and plowed straight through his Day 11 opponent, komusubi Hokutofuji.

Hakuho (10-1) is chasing a record-extending 44th title but hit a roadblock when he gave up the sole lead after a shock upset on Day 10.

The other co-leader, No. 13 Aoiyama, kicked off Day 11 action in the top division by beating rookie Kotonowaka and retaining a shot at his maiden title.

Aoiyama (10-1) was nearly pulled down by the lowly No. 18 maegashira in his initial charge, but the Bulgarian recovered and used his 193-kg frame to drive Kotonowaka (7-4) to the straw and thrust him out.

The next rung on the leaderboard also remained the same, with Kakuryu headlining a group of four on the heels of Hakuho and Aoiyama.

The 15-day grand tournament is being held behind closed doors for the first time in the sport’s history to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.