Recruited by former "sekiwake" Kiyosegawa, he made his professional debut in September 1956 (in the same tournament as Taihō). Initially fighting under the "shikona" of Wakaikuni, he rose slowly up the ranks, eventually reaching the second highest "jūryō" division in May 1963, after 26 tournaments in "makushita". He was promoted to the top "makuuchi" division in November 1963. In just his second "makuuchi" tournament, ranked at "maegashira" 13, he produced a superb 14–1 record, losing only on the final day and finishing runner-up to "yokozuna" Taihō who won with an unbeaten score. (Because he was ranked so low he was not matched against Taihō during the tournament and so never had the chance to defeat him and force a playoff.) He was awarded the Technique Prize and was promoted straight to "sekiwake", sumo's third highest rank – the biggest jump to "sekiwake" ever recorded in the six tournaments a year era. He defeated "yokozuna" in three consecutive tournaments from September 1964 to January 1965, earning promotion back to the "san'yaku" ranks.