However, he suffered a number of injuries after that, having to sit out the May 2004 tournament completely due to cartilage damage in his right knee, which cost him his place in the top division. On his return in March 2005, he had to withdraw after only four days. He spent 20 tournaments in "makuuchi" in total, but did not have a "kachi-koshi" or winning score there after January 2007. He returned to the top division for November 2008, after a year's absence, following a 9–6 score at "jūryō" 3 and a high number of vacancies. He had to withdraw due to an injury during the Kyushu tournament and fell to the second division once again.