 After a 13–2 runner-up performance from "sekiwake" rank in January 1994, he earned promotion to "ōzeki" simultaneously with Musashimaru.His two tournament victories in January 1996 and November 1997 both came after playoff wins against stablemate Takanohana.He normally avoided having to meet Takanohana, as well as other top division stars such as Wakanohana, Takatōriki and Akinoshima, as they were all members of Futagoyama stable, a large and dominant "heya" which had merged with Fujishima in 1993.