Tokitsukaze stable
Zaōnishiki did not own elder stock in the Japan Sumo Association but was able to borrow a succession of elder names to remain in sumo. He worked as a coach at Kagamiyama stable and became a judge of tournament bouts in 1994. Upon taking the elder name of Edagawa in 2002 he was transferred to Tokitsukaze stable. After the Tokitsukaze stable hazing scandal, when Tokitsuumi was persuaded to retire and become head of the stable, Zaōnishiki appeared at Tokitsuumi's retirement press conference and also took the Nishikijima elder name which Tokitsuumi had been intending to use himself before becoming Tokitsukaze. Zaōnishiki finally acquired his own elder name of Takekuma in December 2013 at the age of 61, after thirty years and 11 months of borrowing seven previous elder names. He was able to move up in the Sumo Association's hierarchy as a result, from "toshiyori" to "shunin" in April 2014. He reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in September 2017, but was re-employed by Tokitsukaze stable for five years as a consultant. In September 2019 he retired 3 years early.