 In his second tournament in July 2005 in the "jonidan" division he achieved a perfect record, but lost his second bout in a three-way playoff for the championship to the future Daidō.In September 2006 while competing in the "makushita" division he was punched in the face in the dressing room after a bout with forty-year-old Kotokanyu, who apparently objected to being slapped around the face (a legitimate tactic known as "harite") by someone over twenty years his junior.Kotokanyu was told to retire immediately afterwards.