After graduating from Tenri University, he began work as a teacher for a school in Nara Prefecture in 1982. He was chosen as the -60 kg representative for the Japanese olympic judo team for the 1984 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal by defeating future gold medalist Kim Jae-Yup only 69 seconds into the match. He also won a gold medal at the 1985 World Judo Championships, but retired to concentrate on his work as a teacher. He restarted his judo career in 1987 with a silver medal at the 1987 World Judo Championships, and retired after finishing with a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.