Kotozakura Forces Out Takayasu for a Fourth Straight Win; Kokonoe: 'Maybe Kyushu Suits Him'
Ozeki Kotozakura (Sadogatake) forced out Maegashira 3 Takayasu (Tagonoura) on Day 5 for his fourth straight win since an opening-day loss, going 4-1. He got his right arm inside at the tachi-ai, lost his left uwate, and kept pressing anyway, wrapping Takayasu up, raising his upper body and walking him out (Nikkan Sports, Jiji Press). 'I was patient and kept attacking. I was desperate. I hit well,' he said.
Judging chief Kokonoe (ex-ozeki Chiyotaikai) liked that he 'didn't settle into left-yotsu, just kept going forward,' and smiled: 'He looked bigger to me. He's eating good food. Maybe Kyushu's water suits him. Takayasu looked small.' Kotozakura's only makuuchi title came here two years ago. This year he has reached double-digit wins only in March; Hakkaku said, 'He should use his body and go forward. Maybe he's remembering how it was when he was good.' The JSA's official video of the bout is on Yahoo! Japan Sports.
Sources: Yahoo! Japan Sports (Nikkan Sports / Kokonoe) · Yahoo! Japan Sports (Jiji Press) · Yahoo! Japan Sports (Jiji Press photo) · Yahoo! Japan Sports (JSA official video)