 He retired in September 2019 and is now an elder of the Japan Sumo Association, known as Nakamura Oyakata.He was an amateur sumo champion at Nippon Sport Science University, and won the college equivalent of the "yokozuna" title in his third year.Because he wanted to wait until after his graduation from university before joining professional sumo, he missed out on the chance to enter at the level of the third "makushita" division.