Top Kimarite for Hatsu Basho 2024, as of Day 14
Very exciting going into Day 15!
Yes, I know Ura has a losing record for the January 2024 tournament, but a win is a win. And beating Shodai is fun… especially like that.
Kimarite profile, day 14
It’s interesting that Makushita and Sandamne have lower percentages of their kimarite in kihonwaza (the standard moves - like oshidashi and yorikiri) compared to the sekitori.
They are heavier on the tokushuwaza (“special techniques”) and nagete, which are throws. This may be a reflection of more pusher-thrusters in the top ranks right now, and especially with the return of Terunofuji.
The lowest division, unsurprisingly, is very straightforward, using the standard moves. It’s just interesting to me that we’re not seeing the “tricky” stuff as much from the highest ranks.
Top four kimarite, Day 14
Again, we’re seeing that Makushita and Sandanme with much lower percentages using the top two standard moves - oshidashi and yorikiri.
Unsurprisingly, the lowest division has the highest percentage with these straightforward techniques.
The next two most common techniques are hatakikomi - slap-down (which hasn’t been used at all in Jonokuchi — keep in mind, there are very few matches at the Jonokuchi level. As of day 14, Jonokuchi only has 68 matches. Contrast that to Juryo, which has had 196, the second-lowest number of matches) and tsukiotoshi - thrust-down.
So the top two kimarite are about getting the opponent out of the ring, and the other two are about getting him into the dirt. What’s interesting is that #3 and #4 don’t seem to have much variance across the divisions, except the lowest.
