After ending an eight-month barren stretch with a record-extending 37th career championship in March, Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho looks to be the slight favorite going into the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament getting underway in Tokyo on Sunday.

But Kisenosato will have other ideas as the ozeki looks to build on a 13-2 showing at the Spring Basho and says he is ready to pull out all the stops to claim his first title at the 15-day meet at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Kisenosato had been tipped as the man most likely to end a 10-year trophy drought for Japanese wrestlers at the New Year basho in January, only for Kotoshogiku to steal the show and pull off a shock championship win.

Kisenosato was 19 years old and a ninth-ranked maegashira when ozeki Tochiazuma lifted the Emperor’s Cup for the third and final time in his career on Jan. 22 at the New Year Basho in 2006.

At the time, he was forecast to have a bright future in a sport that has been dominated by Mongolian wrestlers in recent years.

The Tagonoura stable ozeki, who turns 30 in July, has endured years of frustration as he attempted to live up to the hype.

But despite a light training load and concerns after hurting his right leg on May 1, he says he’s more determined than ever to capture the tourney hardware and thus put himself in line for promotion to sumo’s top rank of yokozuna.

“I will go for it,” Kisenosato told reporters on Friday. “All I can do is take it one day at a time. Every day I will be fighting as though it is the last day of the tournament.”

Kisenosato, who faces top-ranked maegashira Myogiru in his first bout on Sunday, did not appear to be bothered by his knee issue at Friday’s practice.

“I am in good condition and ready to go,” he said.

Hakuho’s championship win in March was marred by the fact that he used a frowned-upon henka technique to beat fellow Mongolian yokozuna Harumafuji and clinch the title on the final day.

Hakuho’s only defeat at the spring meet came on the opening day but he has a recent tendency to drop bouts early in the tournament and faces tricky opponents in his first two bouts.

However, he appears to have recovered from pain in his left knee and was in a confident mood ahead of his bid for back-to-back titles.

“(My knee) is getting better. I think I showed some good stuff at the last tournament,” he said.

Hakuho opens up against komusubi Okionumi on Sunday.