are various fouls that a

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

might commit that will cause him to lose the bout. They are: * Striking the opponent with a closed fist. * Grabbing the opponent's hair. * Jabbing at the opponent's eyes or solar plexus. * Simultaneously striking both of the opponent's ears with the palms. * Grabbing or pulling the opponent's

groin In human anatomy, the groin, also known as the inguinal region or iliac region, is the junctional area between the torso and the thigh. The groin is at the front of the body on either side of the pubic tubercle, where the lower part of the abdom ...

. * Grabbing the opponent's

throat In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the front part of the neck, internally positioned in front of the vertebrae. It contains the Human pharynx, pharynx and larynx. An important section of it is the epiglottis, separating the esophagus from the t ...

. * 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. Additionally, if a wrestler's mawashi becomes undone, they will be similarly disqualified. Perhaps the most common ''kinjite'' committed is the grabbing of the opponent's hair. Since it is tied up in a form of ''

chonmage The is a type of traditional Japanese topknot (disambiguation), topknot haircut worn by men. It is most commonly associated with the Edo period (1603–1868) and samurai, and in recent times with sumo wrestlers. It was originally a method of usi ...

'' one's hand can become inadvertently tangled in it during a bout. Itai pulled his opponent's hair on two consecutive days when ranked in the ''

jūryō Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. Fo ...

'' division in May 1980. Other rikishi to have been disqualified in this way include '' ōzeki'' Daikirin and ''

yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...

'' Asashōryū in July 2003, ''ōzeki'' Tochinoshin in September 2019 and Terunofuji in May 2021. Whilst grabbing the throat is not allowed, pushing the opponent backwards with an open hand against the throat (called a ''nodowa'') is permitted, and is actually quite common. In addition, there are moves that are permitted to professional ''

rikishi A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who par ...

'' and forbidden to more junior (school level) wrestlers. One such move is ''harite'' — slapping the opponent's face with an open hand. ''Kinjite'' also refers to an illegal move in

shogi , also known as Japanese chess, is a Strategy game, strategy board game for two players. It is one of the most popular board games in Japan and is in the same family of games as chess, Western chess, chaturanga, xiangqi, Indian chess, and janggi. ...

References

{{Reflist Sumo terminology