at last year's november tournament, yoshikaze faced yet another challenge. he was in so much pain he couldn't walk. a trip to the emergency room followed along with a diagnosis of a serious injury -- a torn muscle in his left thigh. >> translator: i was hoping to finish the match quickly. i brought the injury on myself because i was mentally weak. on the other hand, it was this accident that forced me to start thinking positively and to work on my shortcomings. >> reporter: the rehabilitation process included intense training to rebuild his muscles. his family helped rekindle the fire in his belly to succeed. >> translator: my wife told me she was frustrated to see other rikishi who had turned pro after me advancing into the higher ranks. her words really toughened me up and encouraged me. also, i want my children to know how much i love my job. >> reporter: yoshikaze says that since the injury he's shifted his focus from winning to improving the quality of his matches. that's affected his current approach. >> translator: people say that the two most importa