Sumo stablemaster and former grand champion Takanohana, currently on a regional sumo tour, was rushed to a hospital on Tuesday morning after falling ill while coaching wrestlers.

An emergency call made at around 10:10 a.m. described the 46-year-old former yokozuna as having gone into convulsions and become unconscious during a training session in the city of Akita, but he recovered consciousness before an ambulance arrived and is now able to speak at the hospital, according to Japan Sumo Association officials.

A one-day sumo event was held the same day in Akita, northeastern Japan, and Takanohana was due to take part as a referee.

Shibatayama, the public relations chief of the JSA, said Takanohana is fully conscious but was hospitalized for examinations. Takanohana will drop out of the rest of the regional tour until Sunday, Shibatayama said.

The celebrated former yokozuna, who won 22 tournaments in the top division, has endured a difficult period in recent months due to longstanding friction with the JSA.

In January, he was dismissed as a director on the JSA board over his failure to promptly report to the sumo governing body that a wrestler from his stable had been beaten and injured by yokozuna Harumafuji, a scandal that led to the retirement of the grand champion.

Takanohana attempted to regain his spot on the board of directors by running in an election in February, in which he failed after receiving just two votes in the ballot of all 101 sumo elders.

In March, he was demoted two ranks within the JSA's hierarchy to the lowest of seven ranks due to his absence without permission from the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament and lack of supervision of a wrestler from his stable who assaulted a junior wrestler.