The title decider between Ms3e Otsuji and Ms39w Fukuzaki was quick but competitive. Otsuji won the tachiai and pushed Fukuzaki back. The March debutant moved sideways and grabbed Otsuji’s arm, pulling and then pushing him to the tawara. Otsuji rallied and pushed Fukuzaki across the ring, where the latter tried one final deflection maneuver. This glanced off Otsuji though, and exposed Fukuzaki’s back to his opponent, who quickly capitalized, winning by okuridashi. So Otsuji will be making an immediate return to Juryo, where he’ll hope to improve on his 5-10 March debut. He will be taking the place vacated by absent Wakanosho. Otsuji is the first Juryo dropout to immediately claim the Makushita yusho since Tokihayate did it exactly two years ago.

After Otsuji, things get murky in the promotion race. The remaining contenders are Ms4e Ishizaki, Ms4w Kotokuzan, and Ms5e Kyokukaiyu, all 4-2. Everyone else in the promotion zone is make-koshi after both Dewanoryu and Kitanowaka lost to Juryo opponents. So the exchanges will come down to who among the remaining trio can win their final bout, and how many demotable records there are in Juryo. Kyokukaiyu fights Ms8 Nishinoryu tomorrow; he must win to potentially avoid being last in the promotion queue and have any realistic chance of promotion. The Ms4 duo are being saved for Day 15 exchange bouts against the two most-endangered Juryo incumbents. J14w Mudoho (5-8) is set to be one of these; the other will come from among J10w Hatsuyama (4-9), J13w Daiamami (6-7), J13e Miyanokaze (6-7), and J12w Nabatame (6-7), depending on Day 14 results. I’ll give my best guess for what is likely to happen in my usual post-basho wrap-up post.