Isegahama stable
Terunofuji acknowledged before the March 2021 tournament that he would need a three "basho" total of 33 wins to be considered for "ōzeki" promotion and that he would "fight hard." His own stablemaster, Isegahama (former "yokozuna" Asahifuji), is the head of the refereeing department and in charge of drawing up the rankings. With his fellow Mongolians Hakuhō and Kakuryū withdrawn due to injury, Terunofuji won his third career "yūshō" and earned his third "shukun-shō", finishing with a 12–3 record – more than the 10 wins needed for an expected promotion to "ōzeki" once again. He is the first wrestler to win three top division championships from a rank below "ōzeki". Terunofuji later told reporters that barely qualifying for promotion to the sport's second-highest rank was not enough, as he felt that his stablemaster's reputation was on the line. The Sumo Association unanimously approved his promotion on 31 March. He accepted "with great humility" when informed by JSA representatives at Isegahama stable. He later reiterated his gratitude to his stablemaster, adding that he would devote himself to training and aim higher.