He rose to sekiwake in January 2012 but lost his rank after only scoring 5–10. He had a fine tournament in March, beating the ōzeki Kotoshōgiku and Kotoōshū and sharing the Technique prize, which returned him immediately to sekiwake.
In January 2012, he reached the rank of sekiwake but was subsequently demoted after a poor showing. However, his success in March, particularly beating two top-ranked players and winning the Technique prize, allowed him to regain his sekiwake position.