[6][7] After graduating high school, he was advised to join a music college but instead chose to attend Nippon Sport Science University, and continued to compete with some success in national sumo competitions.
[8] In the spring of 2017, Yūta decided to turn professional sumo and joined the Oguruma stable, led by the former ōzeki Kotokaze, on his master's sixtieth birthday.
There, he first served as Yoshikaze's tsukebito (assistant),[4] a wrestler who is also an alumnus of Nippon Sport Science University, and whom he admires, saying in particular that he wants to emulate him and learn from him.
In November he made his first appearance as a sandanme ranked wrestler and took his second yūshō as he won all seven of his matches and then defeating Tsuyukusa in a play-off.
[14] At the time of his promotion to jūryō, he unusually asked to be maintained as Yoshikaze's tsukebito, because his stable lacked young apprentices who could serve as assistants and that he would benefit from continuing to learn from him.
He defeated his more experienced opponent by oshidashi to take the yūshō but his low rank of jūryō 14 meant that he was not eligible for direct promotion to the makuuchi division.
[3] In January Tomokaze was ranked at jūryō 4, giving him a realistic prospect of promotion with a strong kachi-koshi but his chances appeared slim when he ended the eighth day with a 3–5 record.
In the second week however, he went unbeaten in seven bouts to end the basho on 10–5 secure his elevation to the top makuuchi division along Terutsuyoshi and Daishōhō.
In July 2019 Tomokaze was in contention for the yūshō after winning nine of his first eleven matches but lost to his old high school rival Ichinojō on Day 12.
[20] After the bout he commented: ″I'm happy, but it still doesn't feel real.″[21] He moved to eleven wins by beating Kotoekō but lost tamely to Terutsuyoshi on the final day to end with an 11–4 record.
[22][23] In September he defeated Kakuryū for the second straight tournament on Day 7 and afterwards dedicated the win to his stablemate and friend Yoshikaze, who had just announced his retirement.
The medical certificate submitted by his stable to the Japan Sumo Association stated: "Dislocated right knee joint with ligament damage.
[38] However, Tomokaze was beaten on the fifteenth and final day by Kitanowaka, eliminating him from the title race, while Atamifuji won for the eleventh time and took the playoff against Daiamami.
[39] At the next tournament, in September, Tomokaze succeeded in achieving a positive kachi-koshi score as jūryō 3, reinforcing the likelihood of makuuchi repromotion for the first time in four years.
[42] Following the May 2024 tournament it was announced that Tomokaze would move to the newly-established Nakamura stable, owned by former sekiwake Yoshikaze, effective on 1 June.
After notching the first sekitori win for his new stable on the third day of that tournament, Tomokaze explained that his stablemaster Nakamura suggested the name change.
[43] Tomokaze has shown a preference for tsuki and oshi techniques which involve pushing and thrusting rather than grasping his opponent's mawashi or belt.