He was troubled early in his career by illness and in 1982 he seriously injured his knee and was hospitalised for four months, causing him to miss tournaments and plunge down the rankings.

Mitoizumi was ranked at sekiwake on several more occasions and won seven special prizes, but the highlight of his career came in July 1992, when he took the top division tournament championship for the only time.

Mitoizumi's nickname of the "Salt Shaker" was given to him by British sumo fans who followed his matches on Channel 4 and in the exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall in 1991.

[5] It referred to his habit during the pre-match rituals (but only on the final throw) of grabbing a huge handful of purifying salt and flinging it high into the air.

[6] Mitoizumi's official retirement ceremony (danpatsu-shiki) took place on 9 June 2001, with a record 470 patrons, wrestlers and coaches taking part in the hair-cutting ritual.

[7] He remained in the sumo world as a coach at Takasago stable under the elder name Nishikido Oyakata and he effectively led it during the illness of its head, former komusubi Fujinishiki.

His most common winning kimarite was overwhelmingly yori-kiri, a straightforward force out, which accounted for over half of his victories at sekitori level.

However, due to his height and strength he also regularly employed kimedashi, or arm barring force out, a technique seldom seen today.

Having finally decided to become a professional wrestler, he was nevertheless introduced to oil painting by the wife of the then-master Takasago (former komusubi Fujinishiki).