He used his own surname of Hachiya rather than a traditional shikona for nearly all of his career, as it already had an unusual ring to it (literally meaning "bee's arrow").
[1] As he rose up the ranks he served as a tsukebito or personal attendant to Kitanoumi of the affiliated Mihogaseki stable, and the two eventually became close friends.
[2] Hachiya worked as a coach at Kitanoumi stable until his death in January 2001 at the age of 50 from cancer of the upper jaw.
[2] At 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) and 108 kg (238 lb) Hachiya was small for a sumo wrestler but he used power and skill to counteract his light weight,[2] regularly carrying his opponents out of the dohyo by tsuri-dashi (lift out).
Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi