In his second tournament in the top division he defeated yokozuna Kitanoumi and was awarded the Outstanding Performance prize and promotion to komusubi.

[4] The Sumo Association insisted that Kitao could no longer compete under his family name at such an exalted rank so he adopted the shikona of Futahaguro, the name being formed from those of two highly successful former yokozuna from his stable, Futabayama and Haguroyama.

His debut as a yokozuna in the September 1986 tournament saw him pull out on the seventh day with only three wins, and after two runner-up scores in November 1986 and January 1987, a series of mediocre performances followed.

His best result as a yokozuna came in November 1987 when he was runner-up for the seventh time, with a 13–2 record (losing at the hands of maegashira and also future professional wrestler, Takanofuji).

[7] Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Upon being dismissed by the Sumo Association, Kitao was linked with a move to America's National Football League, but instead turned to professional wrestling.

Afterwards he picked up a microphone and in a shoot promo announced that wrestling was fake and Tenta could never really beat him, as other Japanese wrestlers attempted to restrain him.

[10] According to Masakatsu Funaki and Yoshiaki Yatsu, Kitao rushed back to the locker room straight to the office of Hachiro Tanaka, SWS's manager, and was met by his wife, who called him out for his attitude.

In response to her scolding, he threw a chair at her direction and left to get a taxi called in by KY Wakamatsu to be taken away safely, as wrestlers like Bret Hart, Randy Savage and in particular Hulk Hogan, who was scheduled to face Yatsu later in the night, were reportedly angry and were waiting for him at the locker rooms, while Akio Sato had to calm them all down.

In 1992 he returned to wrestling under his new martial arts persona by appearing in a UWF International event, defeating Kazuo Yamazaki.

Among the wrestlers that came out of the dojo were Masaaki Mochizuki, Yoshikazu Taru, and Takashi Okamura, who later became business partners of Último Dragón in his junior heavyweight ventures.

Kitao participated in some Martial Arts Festivals arranged by Inoki, beating foreign wrestlers like Crusher Kline, Glen Jacobs, and Mabel.

The Australian fighter caught Kitao in a standing guillotine choke and hit some knee strikes to the gut, but Koji trapped his leg and took him down, landing in side control.

In the summer of 2003 he made a surprise return to the world of sumo when he was invited to oversee some practice sessions at his former Tatsunami stable.

[5] His return was possible thanks to the retirement of Kitao's old stablemaster Haguroyama Sojō, who had been accused of illegally pocketing money from the stable fundings.

[17] She said in a television interview in June 2019 that her husband had also suffered from diabetes and she refused doctor's advice that he have a double leg amputation, instead nursing him at home with their daughter.