 He made the "jūryō" division in January 1963 and was promoted to the top "makuuchi" division two years later in January 1965.Hasegawa quickly rose up the ranks, defeating his first "yokozuna" (Tochinoumi) in September 1965 and earning his first special prize, for Technique.In the following tournament in November he made his debut in the titled "san'yaku" ranks at "komusubi".