Comments? Let me knowIt has been said that henka (side-stepping) at the tachiai (start of a bout) is "cheap" and true yokozuna and ozeki do not use it. While it seems from observation that this is true, is there any way to prove this? It is difficult to prove because there are no statistics kept on henka. Perhaps there are clues in the kimarite.
Successful henka results in a limited number of kimarite. If henka is used correctly, the "victim" should be rushing past the practitioner; obviously, yori-kiri is out of the question. The most common kimarite associated with henka is hatakikomi (slap down). As the victim rushes by with his head down, he is pushed down to the dohyo. Another applicable kimarite is okuridashi (rear push out). As the victim passes, he followed and pushed from behind off the dohyo. It is important to keep in mind that not all hatakikomi wins are from henka - but that many tend to be.
Using the power ratings over the past 3 years, we should be able to determine the average PR of users of
each kimarite - and thus the relative strengths of the users of the various techniques. For example,
let's say the kimarite of ThrowHimDownTaoshi had been used 5 times in the past 3 years. A-bono
(with a PR of 10.0) used it 3 times and B-maumi (with a PR of 5.0) used it 2 times. The PR for
ThrowHimDownTaoshi would be ((3*10.0)+(2*5.0))/5 = 8.0.
The table below lists the 12 most commonly used kimarite by sekitori over the past 3 years (from March '95 to January '98). Each of the kimarite in the list is used approximately once per tournament day. These techniques comprise 88% of all kimarite used.
| Kimarite | Description | Occurences | Average PR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tsukidashi | Frontal Thrust Out | 203 | 8.71 |
| Oshitaoshi | Frontal Push Down | 205 | 8.31 |
| Oshidashi | Frontal Push Out | 1312 | 8.25 |
| Yoritaoshi | Frontal Crush Out | 308 | 8.20 |
| Average of Top Twelve Kimarite | 7240 | 7.94 | |
| Yorikiri | Frontal Force Out | 2446 | 7.93 |
| Average of All Kimarite | 8248 | 7.92 | |
| Sukuinage | Beltless Arm Throw | 200 | 7.90 |
| Shitatenage | Underarm Throw | 246 | 7.80 |
| Hikiotoshi | Hand Pull Down | 302 | 7.77 |
| Uwatenage | Overarm Throw | 639 | 7.76 |
| Okuridashi | Rear Push Out | 344 | 7.66 |
| Hatakikomi | Slap Down | 641 | 7.62 |
| Tsukiotoshi | Thrust Down | 394 | 7.47 |
From the table above, it appears that okuridashi and hatakikomi are indeed used by lower quality rikishi. The top techniques are pushing techniques where the rikishi dominates his opponent. Next are throws where the rikishi uses technique to avoid being dominated, and finally we have henka-related kimarite, where the rikishi has tricked his opponent.
An interesting exception is that two similar techniques (tsukidashi and tsukitaoshi) are at the very top and the very bottom of this list. Most likely, this is because with tsukitaoshi, the opponent is so thoroughly dominated, it is likely that he is juryo or some other low-ranked fighter. Thus, the victorious opponent is likely to be low-ranked as well. But that is merely a guess.
Below is a more complete list of kimarite. It lists the 27 techniques that have been used once per basho over the last 3 years (i.e. 18 or more occurences).
| Kimarite | Description | Occurences | Average PR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sotogake | Outside Leg Trip | 28 | 9.51 |
| Makiotoshi | Twist Down | 20 | 8.83 |
| Tsukidashi | Frontal Thrust Out | 203 | 8.71 |
| Tsukitaoshi | Frontal Thrust Down | 55 | 8.52 |
| Oshitaoshi | Frontal Push Down | 205 | 8.31 |
| Tsuridashi | Lift Out | 40 | 8.26 |
| Oshidashi | Frontal Push Out | 1312 | 8.25 |
| Fusensho | Win by Default | 32 | 8.21 |
| Yoritaoshi | Frontal Crush Out | 308 | 8.20 |
| Katasukashi | Under Shoulder Swing Down | 75 | 8.17 |
| Uchimuso | Inner Thigh Propping Twist | 22 | 8.12 |
| Yorikiri | Frontal Force Out | 2446 | 7.93 |
| Sukuinage | Beltless Arm Throw | 200 | 7.90 |
| Kimedashi | Arm Barring Force Out | 64 | 7.90 |
| Kotenage | Armlock Throw | 135 | 7.81 |
| Shitatenage | Underarm Throw | 246 | 7.80 |
| Hikiotoshi | Hand Pull Down | 302 | 7.77 |
| Uwatenage | Overarm Throw | 639 | 7.76 |
| Okuritaoshi | Rear Push Down | 51 | 7.75 |
| Shitatedashinage | Pulling Underarm Throw | 40 | 7.70 |
| Okuridashi | Rear Push Out | 344 | 7.66 |
| Hatakikomi | Slap Down | 641 | 7.62 |
| Tsukiotoshi | Thrust Down | 394 | 7.47 |
| Uwatedashinage | Pulling Overarm Throw | 107 | 7.47 |
| Kirikaeshi | Twisting Backward Knee Trip | 58 | 7.39 |
| Abisetaoshi | Backward Force Down | 21 | 7.31 |
| Shitatehineri | Twisting Underarm Throw | 33 | 7.30 |
There are a couple of interesting points regarding the above table:
Fusensho is one of the higher-ranked techniques, well above the average. This seems odd because all the winner has to do, literally, is show up. The reason this is a highly-ranked technique is because yokozuna and sanyaku rikishi suffer a disproportionate number of injuries. At this level, the stakes are high and everybody is looking for win in every match. To get a fusensho from them, you have to be ranked high enough to get on their schedule.
Many of the ratings of the less-commonly used kimarite are not because the technique is intrinsically good or bad, but because they are predominately used by a good or bad rikishi. For example the "best" technique sotogake has been used a total 28 times, 10 times by Takanonami. The third-worst kimarite kirikaeshi has been used 58 times, 20 by Mainoumi.
Comments? Let me know