There he defeated ozeki Chiyotaikai and Takanonami, finished in equal third place with 12 wins against three losses and received two special prizes for Fighting Spirit and Technique.
Over the next couple of years Tochinohana struggled to maintain his makuuchi position, and a serious back injury forced him all the way down to the unsalaried makushita division in 2004.
However, he fought his way back to makuuchi in November 2005, where he finished runner-up to yokozuna Asashoryu, scoring eleven wins and receiving the Fighting Spirit Award.
After a disastrous 2-13 record in November 2007 Tochinohana fell to Jūryō 14 West, making him the lowest ranking sekitori.
Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi