 Although he was not able to come through with a winning record his score of 6–9 was creditable, and he scored a memorable win over new "ōzeki" Harumafuji on the opening day of the tournament.However, he gradually slipped back down the rankings with three more losing scores in the next three tournaments.The November 2009 tournament was one of his most successful, as he won nine of his first ten bouts before slowing down somewhat to finish on 10–5.