He was born and raised in what is now
Saitama City. He started sumo in the third grade. He went to
Tottori Jōhoku High School and was an amateur sumo champion for
Nihon University. He placed in the Best 16 at the All-Japan Sumo Tournament in his third and fourth years. He joined
Mihogaseki stable in March 2006, but when Onoe Oyakata (former
Hamanoshima) broke off and established
Onoe stable in August of the same year, Sakaizawa followed him. He rose quickly up the ranks, losing just two bouts in his first five tournaments and winning two
yusho or tournament championships in the
jonokuchi and
makushita divisions with perfect 7–0 records. He made his debut as an elite
sekitori ranked wrestler in July 2007 upon promotion to the
juryo division. However, he injured his elbow on the seventh day in this tournament in a match against
Masatsukasa. Although the initial prognosis was that he would be out for six weeks, he returned to the tournament on Day 11 and finished with a 7–6–2 record. This was enough to keep him in the division, and he won the
juryo division championship in November 2007 with a 13–2 record. Sakaizawa was promoted to the top
makuuchi division in March 2008, only twelve tournaments after his professional debut, which at the time was equal to the second fastest rise to the top division since the introduction of the 6 tournaments a year system in 1958. However, he had to withdraw on the seventh day of his debut tournament after suffering injuries to his knees and an ankle in a bout with
Kakizoe. He protested his innocence, saying "I didn't get a chance to explain anything... I guess it was all decided in advance. I cannot accept this!" However, he eventually submitted his retirement papers, and had his hair-cutting ceremony (
danpatsu-shiki) in September 2011. Sakaizawa is only the third wrestler to have to withdraw from his only tournament ranked in the top division, after in May 1926 (0-0-11) and
Towanoyama in March 2002 (0–1–14). ==After sumo==