 However he scored ten wins in the September 2000 tournament, which immediately restored him to "ōzeki" status.His time at "ōzeki" was bedeviled by further injuries which meant he was often merely struggling to maintain his rank instead of challenging for tournament championships and further promotion.His best performance as an "ōzeki" was a 12–3 runner-up score in March 2001, but that was the only tournament in which he was able to win more than ten bouts.