 He had a long rivalry with "yokozuna" Chiyonofuji, whom he defeated 14 times in competition.There was a personal edge to their matches because of Hokuten'yū's younger brother, who was a low ranking member of Chiyonofuji's Kokonoe stable, but quit sumo after a training incident in 1979 for which Hokuten'yū blamed his rival.He was particularly popular among female sumo fans.