Terunofuji, sumo's lone yokozuna, said Monday he will do everything in his power to claim his 10th top-level championship at the upcoming Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka.
The Mongolian-born yokozuna tops the rankings for the March 10-24 competition at Edion Arena Osaka, where he will aim for his second straight title.
Terunofuji lifted his ninth Emperor's Cup in January and has frequently stated his goal of reaching double-digit championships, an unofficial benchmark used to distinguish historically great yokozuna.
"I will compete with all my might each day," Terunofuji said at a news conference in Osaka.
"I want to do my best one more time as I try to win back-to-back championships."
Terunofuji went into the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan with many doubting whether his injury-riddled body would hold up after he had withdrawn from the three previous meets with severe back pain.
But the 32-year-old picked up steam throughout the 15-day tournament, which culminated in his championship playoff victory over then-sekiwake Kotonowaka after both finished with 13-2 records.
Kotonowaka, the son of former sekiwake Kotonowaka and grandson of former yokozuna Kotozakura, will debut at ozeki in Osaka, bringing the number of wrestlers at sumo's second-highest rank to four.