Sumo Slap Knockout!

A sumo wrestler is knocked unconscious during a bout at the 2024 Nagoya basho. | oocmma/X

See a sumo wrestler get KTFO via a perfectly legal move at the 2024 Nagoya basho.

It’s sumo season!

The 2024 Nagoya basho is underway in Japan which means daily sumo for 15 straight days. During the two weeks of competition, all wrestlers within the Grand Sumo system compete on the same ring to determine the best from the rest.

Since there are multiple tiers of sumo competitions all happening at once, during a given tournament there are always some wacky goings-on in the lower divisions. In the last tournament we had a ripped rikishi take out one of the biggest wrestlers in history with a single leg.

This time around, we had two titans throw down in a slap fest leading to one of them getting slept in the middle of the dohyo. Check that out footage below, courtesy of X user @acdmma_.

did we just get the sumo version of Max Holloway v Justin Gaethje??? pic.twitter.com/2thjqR64sM

— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) July 19, 2024

This bout happened in the makushita (third division) on Day 5 of the competition. It involves Kaiseijo (on the left) and Wakamiyabi (on the right).

Wakamiyabi is the guy who gets knocked out. Kaiseijo is the official winner of the bout, with his kimarite (winning technique) declared as a tsukiotoshi (thrust down). Tsukiotoshi is somewhat of a catch-all term for bouts which end with one or both wrestlers being flung to the ground. Wakamiyabi fought two days after this and lost again, this time by yoritaoshi (frontal crush out). Kaiseijo lost his next bout, but rebounded with a shitatedashinage (pulling under arm throw) win last night.

Some commenters online questioned if what transpired in this bout was legal. The answer is yes. In sumo, open palm strikes are completely legal. In sumo, you lose if anything other than the soles of your feet touch the ground or if you go outside of the straw ring. If you slap someone silly to get them down or out, that’s just fine.

Sumo wrestlers generally fight in one of two styles: oshi-zumō or yotsu-zumō. Oshi-zumō features pushing and thrusting attacks whereas yotsu-zumō features grappling attacks. When two oshi-sumō wrestlers face off against each other, you see thrusting/slapping duels like the one above.

Palm strikes happen in most matches, but rarely do we see someone knocked out. This is because palm strikes are often aimed at the throat, chest and shoulders and are designed to force an opponent backwards and out of the ring, rather than to do damage or knock someone out (it’s not exactly Power Slap).

Here’s what that looks like in the makuuchi (top division) with Abi (in the black), who is known as “Machine gun arm,” losing a thrusting battle against Hiradoumi.

Some wrestlers have used very heavy slaps for different reasons, though. Takakeisho aka “The Angry Hamster,” who is ranked ōzeki (one below yokozuna), is known to throw brutal slaps at his opponents’ jaws. He does this to disorient them and open a window for him to shove them out.

Here he is (in black) trying that on Tobizaru this month, only for “The Flying Monkey” to clear the cobwebs and score the win.

Sumo’s GOAT Hakuho was also known to use strikes to disorient his opponents. Hakuho would also employ a forearm/elbow strike off the tachiai (opening clash) to devastating effect.

See that below:

If any of this has you eager to follow sumo and learn more about the sport, please consider subscribing to my free Substack Sumo Stomp! I am currently sending out daily newsletters recapping the results of the Nagoya basho (and including lots of gifs!).