 In 1989 he won 40 out of a possible 45 bouts in the first three championships of the year and came very close to promotion to the highest rank of "yokozuna", but he was defeated by "yokozuna" Hokutoumi in playoffs in both January and May 1989.His 13–2 mark in May was his fifth consecutive runner-up performance, and his seventh overall, but he had been unable to win two tournaments in a row, regarded by the Japan Sumo Association as the minimum requirement for "yokozuna" promotion after the embarrassment of Futahaguro's brief tenure at sumo top's rank.After managing only 8–7 in the following tournament in July, Asahifuji endured a long slump.