Ozeki Tochiazuma, who withdrew from the Spring Sumo Tournament last month due to high blood pressure and headaches, took part in a regional training tour by sumo wrestlers and denied retirement on Sunday.
Tochiazuma said he will not decide whether to end his career until after the summer tournament in May, about a week after the injury-prone 30-year-old veteran indicated possible retirement in the immediate future.
"I would not decide on it right now," Tochiazuma said as the training tour started at the Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture, where he spoke to the press before starting light workouts on Monday. He flatly denied that he would quit before the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo, which starts May 13.