However, he only managed to win ten or more bouts in a tournament as an ōzeki on six occasions, and was kadoban, or in danger of demotion, eight times.

He retired in January 2020 after two consecutive losing records that would have seen him demoted, to become an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Takekuma.

He was well known for being a strong contender from the beginning, and was encouraged by his family to take on older and bigger boys to improve his sumo even further.

At the 53rd All Japan Sumo Championships held at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in December 2004, in which he was the only high school student to compete, he finished in the top four.

Gōeidō was promoted to the top makuuchi division after a 12–3 score and runner-up honours at the rank of jūryō 5 in July 2007.

Pitted against higher ranked opposition on the next three days, he lost to Ama, ōzeki Chiyotaikai and yokozuna Hakuhō.

After this tournament he was named as one of seven wrestlers who NHK commentator Shuhei Nagao (the former Mainoumi) called the "Seven Samurai" and identified as "holding the key" to a Japanese resurgence in sumo, which was dominated by foreigners in the top ranks.

In the January 2009 tournament he won ten bouts from the maegashira 3 ranking, earning his first Technique prize and promotion back to komusubi.

He began the tournament brightly, defeating three ōzeki in the first three days (the best start by a new sekiwake since Tochinowaka in September 1987), but he faded after that and recorded a disappointing 6–9.

However a defeat to Aminishiki on the final day meant he finished on 7–8 and he missed out on the Outstanding Performance prize as a result.

He was forced to pull out of the March tournament, his first career withdrawal, after injuring his left knee in a defeat to Hōmashō Noriyuki on Day 5.

Gōeidō's best result for some time came in the March 2012 tournament in Osaka, where he finished on 12–3 and won his third Fighting Spirit award.

In the July 2014 tournament, he logged his fourteenth consecutive appearance at sekiwake a modern age record, passing up Kaiō's thirteen.

Fighting in front of his hometown supporters Gōeidō produced a career best effort to record 12 wins including victories over the yokozuna Kakuryū and Harumafuji and was in contention for the championship until losing to Kisenosato on the final day.

In September 2016 Gōeidō started strongly with six straight wins including victories over komusubi Tochiōzan and both sekiwake (Takarafuji and Takayasu).

In the tournament's second week he maintained his unbeaten run with wins over his fellow ōzeki Terunofuji and Kisenosato and the yokozuna Kakuryū to open up a two-win lead over his rivals.

On September 24, the penultimate day of the tournament Gōeidō clinched the title with a force-out (yorikiri) win over Tamawashi.

[16] On Day 8 against sekiwake Okinoumi he was forced to the edge of the ring but with his left heel back on the straw bales he threw his opponent down.

After losing his opening match he then won ten in a row to stand as the clear tournament leader on 10–1, two wins ahead of rank-and-filers Chiyotairyu, Asanoyama and Takanoiwa on 8–3.

[22] Although he missed out on his second yūshō this was Gōeido's first runner-up performance as an ōzeki and only the third time he has recorded double-digit wins at the rank.

In their head-to-head clashes in professional sumo, Gōeidō led 25–14, including a win by default, and won their last six encounters until a day 3 defeat in the 2018 Kyūshū Basho.

[28] Entering the January 2020 tournament as a kadoban ōzeki, Gōeidō suffered his eighth loss in his Day 12 match against Asanoyama.

"[33] Gōeidō's danpatsu-shiki, or retirement ceremony, was planned to be held at the end of January 2021 at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan following that month's sumo tournament,[33] but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

His most common winning kimarite was yorikiri, or force out, but he used a wide variety of techniques in his career, including sotogake, an outer leg trip, and kubinage, the neck throw.

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