In November 2016 Kotoshōgiku did not have the best tournament managing only five wins which put him in kadoban status for the January 2017 tournament, the seventh time in his career. Kotoshōgiku did not perform well in the January 2017 tournament and was only able to get a 5–10 record, but was able to give Kisenosato, who ended up winning the tournament, his only defeat. Since Kotoshōgiku was kadoban and failed to get the necessary 8 wins he was demoted to sekiwake after 32 tournaments at ōzeki.
In November 2016, Kotoshōgiku's performance was subpar, resulting in only five wins that earned him kadoban status for the January 2017 tournament, a feat he had accomplished seven times previously. In the January 2017 tournament, Kotoshōgiku's results were disappointing, with a 5–10 record, but he did manage to defeat Kisenosato, who went on to win the tournament, securing his only loss. As a result of not meeting the necessary eight-win requirement, Kotoshōgiku was demoted from ōzeki to sekiwake after 32 tournaments.