 In May 2009 he not only made his first "kachi-koshi" at a "sekitori" rank in nearly four years but won his first "jūryō" championship with a 12-3 record.He followed up with another strong 11-4 record in July 2009, ensuring himself of a return to the top division for the first time in nearly four years.The 23 tournaments it took him to win back promotion is the fifth longest ever, behind Satoyama, Wakanoyama, Daihi and Daizen.