[1] Asahifuji also did well at sumo at school, finishing third in a national schoolboy competition, and later winning the West Japan Student Newcomers tournament while studying at Kinki University.

However, because of his amateur sumo experience he was able to work his way up the ranks very quickly and won tournament championships in the jonokuchi, sandanme and makushita divisions with perfect records.

After regular training sessions at Takasago stable, where he knew Asashio from his university days,[2] he began to develop a more rounded technique,[1] and after three double figure records he was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ōzeki after the September 1987 tournament.

In January 1988 Asahifuji won his first top division tournament championship, which was also the first for the Tatsunami-Isegahama icihimon or group of stables in nearly twenty years.

However, by mid-1990 his health began to improve, and after encouragement from his stablemaster, who reminded him that he would soon turn 30 years of age and was down to his last chance, he won consecutive championships in May and July 1990.

He returned in January 1992 but after losing his opening three bouts to Akebono, his nemesis Akinoshima (for the fifth time in a row) and finally Wakahanada, he announced his retirement at the age of 31.

Harumafuji took his second championship in July 2011, the same tournament in which Takarafuji, like Asahifuji a Kindai University graduate, made his top division debut.

[5] He has continued to produce top wrestlers, with Takarafuji reaching komusubi rank and Terunofuji, inherited from the defunct Magaki stable, being promoted to ōzeki, both in 2015.

In the final years of his coaching career, he continued to nurture promising young wrestlers, with Midorifuji winning promotion to makuuchi in 2021,[6] while Atamifuji and Nishikifuji advanced to that division in 2022.

[7][8] In 2024, another pupil of Asahifuji, Takerufuji, made his makuuchi debut and became the first wrestler in 110 years to win the championship in his inaugural top division tournament.

[11] Two of Isegahama stable's retired wrestlers, Ajigawa (former sekiwake Aminishiki) and yokozuna Harumafuji, served as his tsuyuharai and tachimochi, respectively.

[13][14] Asahifuji submitted Harumafuji's retirement papers to the Sumo Association on 29 November 2017 after the yokozuna took responsibility for an assault on fellow Mongolian Takanoiwa in a Tottori restaurant and bar the previous month.

At a subsequent news conference Isegahama shed tears as he told reporters, "I've watched him grow since he was 16 and have never seen or heard of him being violent before...

[18] The following month it was confirmed through the Sumo Association's website that he had been demoted two ranks to yakuin taigu iin (executive member) and was appointed deputy director of the guidance promotion department.

He was criticised for this by his stablemaster, the former ōzeki and noted technician Asahikuni, whose view was that by winning by his own idiosyncratic methods, he would be unable to cure his faults.

"[21] Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi