 He reached "ōzeki" rank in July 1966.Although he had won only 28 bouts in the previous three tournaments (at least 33 are normally needed), Yutakayama was the only "ōzeki" at the time, and he was promoted largely because of his potential.In January 1967 he followed the coach who had scouted him, former "yokozuna" Chiyonoyama, to a new stable, Kokonoe.