Sadogatake stable
He was born in the former Misato, Gunma. At the wish of his father, he practiced both sumo and judo from a young age. After competing in the National Junior High School Sumo Championships at the age of 14, he met former "yokozuna" Kotozakura who persuaded him to join Sadogatake stable. He made his professional debut in March 1984. His first "shikona" or fighting name was Kotomatsuzawa, based on his own surname. He switched to Kotonishiki in late 1987 and shortly afterwards made the elite "sekitori" ranks, being promoted to the "jūryō" division in March 1988. A losing score of 4-11 meant he was demoted back to the unsalaried "makushita" division after only one tournament, but he returned to the second division in September 1988 and was promoted to the top "makuuchi" division in May 1989 after an 11-4 record at "jūryō" 6 in March.