Born in Himeji, he was the son of former "ozeki" Masuiyama Daishiro I, and joined his father's Mihogaseki stable in January 1967, at the same time as Kitanoumi, a future yokozuna.
Born in Himeji, he was the son of former "ozeki" Masuiyama Daishiro I. He was a talented swimmer at school but wanted to follow his father into sumo. He began at the same time as Kitanoumi, a future yokozuna.