On graduating from high school, through the efforts of a former teacher, he made contact with Nakadachi (later Sakaigawa) stable and was accepted.

Sadanofuji produced a bare majority of wins in his first two top division tournaments, but then had four successive make-koshi or losing scores, which saw him demoted back to jūryō.

He stayed with the Japan Sumo Association as a coach at his stable, initially under the borrowed elder name of Nakamura Oyakata held by Yoshikaze.

[1] His danpatsu-shiki, or retirement ceremony, was held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on September 2, 2017, with around 300 people taking a cut of his hair.

[4] Sadanofuji was the tsukebito of the upper division wrestler Iwakiyama for many years, but in 2009 his coach, seeing his potential, released him from his duties so he could concentrate on his sumo.

His younger brother Koki joined his stable in 2009 under the shikona Obamaumi (later Sadanoryu) and reached a highest rank of makushita 33 in March 2019, retiring in September 2021.

He weighed 208 kg (459 lb) at the Aki basho in September 2015, making him the joint-heaviest man in the top division alongside Ichinojō.

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