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.
He rose to sekiwake in January 2012 but was demoted after scoring poorly, only to regain his position through a strong tournament performance in March, where he defeated ōzeki Kotoshōgiku and Kotoōshū and received the Technique prize.