Aged 35 years and two months, he is in first place for the eldest to make his sekiwake debut post World War II.

Born in Moriyoshi, Kitaakita District, Narita practised sumo in college and was a very dominant player, having achieved the student equivalent of yokozuna after winning the Kokutai (Japan Games) and All Japan University Championship sumo tournaments in 2001, his fourth year at Chuo University.

He reached sekitori level in just two tournaments, and was promoted to the top makuuchi division in March 2003, the first wrestler from his stable to achieve this.

He took time to adjust to the stronger opposition in makuuchi and did not achieve a kachi-koshi or winning record above the mid maegashira ranks until May 2007.

In September 2010 he finished runner-up in a tournament for the first time, and was awarded his second Fighting Spirit prize, shared with stablemate Yoshikaze.

His 5–10 record in the January 2018 tournament saw him demoted to jūryō for the first time since 2005, but he resolved to continue wrestling,[1] and earned immediate promotion back to makuuchi, becoming at 38 years and 10 months the second oldest wrestler to do so since the beginning of the Showa era after Aminishiki.

He announced his retirement during the January 2019 tournament after his eighth loss at the low rank of jūryō 12 made demotion to the makushita division virtually certain.

[3] His danpatsu-shiki was held in front of a 9000 crowd at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan on 1 February 2020, with his son taking part in a bout with him, and around 200 to 300 people participating in the hair-snipping ritual.

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