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[Moti Dichne]

Hakkaku Rijicho criticized Hakunofuji for winning with a henka today. Hakunofuji shifted to the left at the tachiai against Fujiseiun, securing his 11th win. At this point, he remained in contention for the yusho and also received the Fighting Spirit Prize. Hakkaku pointed out, "I'm a little disappointed in Hakunofuji. He tried to win an important match by taking the easy way out. You could say he has guts, but... He's a young rikishi,, so even if he wins like that and then wins the yusho playoff, it will be difficult for him to become a Yokozuna. I'm going to be blunt, but winning like that means nothing." Hakunofuji also defeated Ozeki Kirishima on Day 14, making him one of the key players who enlivened the tournament. Nevertheless, Hakkaku commented critically, precisely because he has high hopes in him for the future, saying, "It doesn't seem like he's trying hard, but rather that he's winning cleverly and taking the easy way out. In the future, when a win would mean the yusho, or a win would mean becoming a Yokozuna, he will choose the easier option."

 Kirishima missed out on his fourth yusho which would have been two consecutive yusho. He won his main bout against Ura convincingly, but lost to Wakatakakage in the playoff. "I was trying to go in without thinking too much, as I always do, but it was my worst tachiai of the tournament. I wanted to finish with a win," he said, biting his lip. This tournament, his first as an Ozeki in 12 tournaments, he won seven consecutive matches from the first day and led the yusho race in the absence of the two Yokozuna and two Ozeki. Having achieved a result equivalent of a yusho as an Ozeki, Chief Judge Asakayama said, "I think next basho will be called a 'high-level yusho watch.' I want him to work hard to achieve that," indicating that it will be a tournament where he can aim for Yokozuna, despite the tough conditions. Looking ahead to the Nagoyabasho, Kirishima said, "I just have to keep doing the sumo I've been doing from the beginning. It's all about the keiko."