Sumo's Ozeki champion Takakeisho, who is pursuing promotion to the top rank of yokozuna, has started the March grand tournament with a loss.

Takakeisho lost to Komusubi Tobizaru by slap-down in the last bout of the tourney's first day in the western prefecture of Osaka on Sunday.

Takakeisho clinched his third grand tournament championship in January.

He is the highest ranked wrestler competing in the current meet. Yokozuna grand champion Terunofuji is sitting it out in its entirety to recuperate from surgery he received on both knees last October.

Day 1 of the tournament had a capacity crowd of 7,190. This is the first full house since 2019 for a March grand tourney that has no coronavirus-related limits on the number of spectators allowed into the venue.