Fighting fit and ready to rumble, newly promoted ozeki Takayasu takes center stage when the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament gets underway on Sunday.

Takayasu took a hammering by yokozuna Kisenosato earlier in the week during practice bouts, but the ozeki insists he is in top shape ahead of his opening match against second-ranked maegashira Hokutofuji.

Takayasu, the first new ozeki since Mongolian Terunofuji was promoted for the Nagoya meet in 2015, lost all 10 of his bouts against Tagonoura stablemate Kisenosato on Wednesday.

"The yokozuna (Kisenosato) delivered some hard hits and I could not shove into him," said Takayasu. "But I am in good condition. I want to keep increasing my strength both physically and mentally.

Asked about his mindset ahead of the tournament, Takayasu said, "I'm feeling relaxed."

Takayasu, who went 11-4 at the Summer meet in May, and Hokutofuji face off for the first time at a grand tournament.

Hokutofuji also had an impressive showing (10-5) in May.

"He will be a challenging opponent," Takayasu said of Hokutofuji. "I want to relax my shoulders and deliver a commanding performance."

Takayasu's promotion to sumo's second-highest rank last month completed a respectable banzuke for the Nagoya basho, with four grand champions and three ozeki set to face off for the first time since the spring meet in 2000.

His promotion comes six months after his Tagonoura stablemate Kisenosato reached the sport's highest rank of yokozuna.

Whether Kisenosato, who pulled out of the last tourney through injury, will make a serious run at the title remains to be seen, with the grand champion only having confirmed his participation at the Nagoya meet on Thursday.

"I've had a good practice. The only thing needed is to maintain complete concentration," said Kisenosato, who had skipped a few training sessions and lost to lower-ranked wrestlers in sparring since arriving in Nagoya late last month.

His participation at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium had been in doubt due to concerns over a lingering injury he suffered in March.

Kisenosato won his first Emperor's Cup at January's New Year tournament to earn promotion to sumo's highest rank. He fought through injury on the last two days of the spring meet in March and came from behind to win his second championship in dramatic fashion.

But he is said to have rushed his rehab ahead of his three-peat bid at the summer tournament, eventually having to withdraw after being diagnosed with damage to the muscles in his left chest and left upper arm.

Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho will be looking to win his second straight title and extend his all-time championship record to 39 in the process after winning the summer meet in May with a spotless 15-0 record.

Hakuho will be fighting in his 60th tournament, surpassing late yokozuna Chiyonofuji for second place on the all time list.

He starts the tournament just 11 shy of matching the all-time record for match victories held by former ozeki Kaio (1,047).

"I am building up my body and have been practicing and my performances have been good," said Hakuho after Thursday's training.

"It will be hot at the Nagoya meet but hopefully I can overcome that."