九重部屋
Hoshi was born in Hiroo, Hokkaidō. An uncle was an acquaintance of former "yokozuna" Kitanofuji, who by then had retired from competition and was running Kokonoe stable, and at his invitation Hoshi moved to Tokyo. Upon leaving school, his first appearance in the ring was March 1979, aged just 15, using his real name as his "shikona" or ring name. Also starting at the same time was future "yokozuna" Futahaguro.