However, five consecutive winning records in his next five tournaments saw him promoted to the jūryō division in May 1975, whereupon his changed his shikona or fighting name from Nomura to Dewanohana.
He held the sekiwake rank for four straight tournaments in 1982 but failed to mount a challenge for ōzeki promotion, falling to 6–9 in September 1982.
He was a judge of tournament bouts and joined the Sumo Association's executive board in 2014, managing the public relations department.
He reached the mandatory retirement age for elders of 65 in 2016, but was re-employed as a consultant for a period of five years on reduced pay, ending upon his 70th birthday in 2021.
His most common winning kimarite were yorikiri (force out) and uwatenage (overarm throw), and he also liked to employ the rare move komatosukui (over thigh scooping body drop).