- Kinjite
"Kinjite" (禁じ手 or 禁手 lit. "forbidden hand") are various fouls that a
sumo wrestler might commit that will cause him to lose the bout. They are:* Striking the opponent with a closed
fist .
* Grabbing the opponent’shair .
* Jabbing at the opponent’s eyes orsolar plexus .
* Simultaneously striking both of the opponent’s ears with the palms.
* Grabbing or pulling the opponent’sgroin .
* Grabbing the opponent’sthroat .
* Kicking at the opponent’s chest or waist.
* Bending back one or more of the opponent’s fingers.Any of these is grounds for immediate disqualification ("hansoku") owing to the potential for long-lasting harm to the wrestler involved. They are exceedingly rare and unlikely to be seen in the higher divisions of sumo, especially by the "
sekitori " wrestlers.Perhaps the most common "kinjite" committed is the grabbing of the opponent’s hair. Since it is tied up in a form of "
chonmage " one's hand can become inadvertently tangled in it during a bout. Itai once pulled his opponent's hair on two consecutive days when ranked in the "jūryō " division in May 1980.Cite book |author=Sharnoff, Lorna |title=Grand Sumo|publisher=Weatherhill |year=1993 |id=ISBN 0-8348-0283-x] Other rikishi to have been disqualified in this way include "ozeki "Daikirin , and "yokozuna"Asashoryu in July 2003.Whilst grabbing the throat is not allowed, pushing the opponent backwards with an open hand against the throat (called a "nodowa") is permitted.
In addition, there are moves that are permitted to professional "
rikishi " and forbidden to more junior (school level) wrestlers. One such move is "harite" — slapping the opponent's face with an open hand.References
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