 He had slipped to "maegashira" 13 in the rankings and after losing his first two bouts, he announced his retirement.He worked as a coach in his old stable under the name Otowayama.Along with five other "oyakata" (Magaki, Onomatsu, Ōtake, Tokiwayama and Futagoyama), he left the Nishonoseki "ichimon" or group of stables in January 2010 after declaring his support for his former stablemate Takanohana's unsanctioned bid to be elected to the board of directors of the Sumo Association.