Spring Grand Sumo Tournament winner Takerufuji will miss the start of the summer meet this weekend because of a lingering ankle injury, his Isegahama stable decided Thursday.
The 25-year-old is ranked as a No. 6 maegashira for the 15-day Summer Grand Sumo Tournament kicking off Sunday at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
He became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a championship in his top-division debut by finishing the March tournament in Osaka with a 13-2 record.
The Aomori Prefecture native hurt his right ankle on the penultimate day at Edion Arena Osaka, where he was fighting as a bottom-ranked No. 17 maegashira, but battled through the injury to clinch his historic title on the last day.
His ankle has not recovered as well as hoped, however, and he will miss at least part of the upcoming competition.
"It still hasn't healed. He can't compete in this condition," his stablemaster, the former yokozuna Asahifuji, said.
If Takerufuji misses the whole tournament, he is almost certain to fall to the second-tier juryo division for the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in July.
The Isegahama stablemaster, meanwhile, did not say whether or not the highest-profile member of his stable, lone yokozuna Terunofuji, would be able to compete.
The injury-prone grand champion withdrew midway through the March competition due to lower back pain and other health problems and has not been undertaking a full training schedule. He complained of pain in his left side during a practice session held by the Yokozuna Deliberation Council last week.
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