He currently participates in sumo exhibitions and amateur tournaments, and has made a number of appearances in television shows, commercials and music videos.

Yamamotoyama however, shares his name with a well-known producer of Japanese seaweed and tea, with whom he was reportedly keen to secure a sponsorship deal.

Upon his promotion he posed for photographers with two bags of rice and told reporters that he was aiming for 241 kg in weight, to break the record for a Japanese rikishi then held by Susanoumi.

The twelve tournaments it took him to enter the top division ties him with Tochiazuma, among others, in a group of the second fastest wrestlers to reach this level.

He suffered a muscle pull in his ribcage during the July 2009 tournament after falling to the floor of the dohyo twice in two bouts against Wakakoyu on Day 9 and had to withdraw for the first time in his career.

However he entered the Kyushu basho in November 2009 in poor condition, having injured his right elbow whilst on tour in October, and he eventually withdrew from the tournament with only two wins, after being diagnosed with influenza.

Remaining in the jūryō division, he suffered knee ligament damage on the 11th day of the July 2010 tournament and was forced to withdraw.

Following his loss of sekitori status, he resumed menial duties at Onoe stable, becoming the head chanko chef.

"[5] However, on April 5 he visited the Ryōgoku Kokugikan to hand in his retirement papers, alongside stablemates Sakaizawa and Shirononami who were also found guilty.

In February 2015, Yamamotoyama was the celebrity guest for Koyasan Buddhist Temple’s annual Hoshimatsuri service, where he is a volunteer and regular attendee.

"[12] In May 2015, he appeared on the American television program The Bachelorette along with Ulambayaryn,[13] and in 2017 starred in the music video for the song "Shape of You" by English artist Ed Sheeran.

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