AKI Makuuchi Kimarite Report

Aki was a thoroughly enjoyable basho, with plenty of exciting highlight bouts and a full roster of healthy sanyaku. I've crunched the numbers from all of the matchups from this tournament, and found some cool new techniques and interesting new trends.
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Three kimarite occurred in this tournament for the first time, since I started keeping track of kimarite during the Haru basho. Let's start with those:

On the first day of the basho, Ichinojo doesn't give up on the edge and sends Endo rolling off the dohyo with a fierce uwatehineri (twisting overarm throw).
- Uwatehineri - 1 - (0.36% of kimarite in this basho, 0.09% in all basho) - https://youtu.be/sw2hBHIbiAc?t=8m59s

In the second match of the tournament, Yoshikaze sets the tone for his tournament with a showstopping utchari (backward pivot throw)
- Utchari - 1 (0.36% | 0.09%) - https://youtu.be/sw2hBHIbiAc?t=1m2s

On the last day of the basho, Tochiozan pulls Chiyoshoma backwards and performs a cool shitatehineri (twisting underarm throw). Chiyoshoma was on the losing end of two creative kimarite.
- Shitatehineri - 1 (0.36% | 0.09%) - https://youtu.be/ClRHwHZGPBs?t=6m

Asanoyama shows off his power and quickness and immobilizes both of Shohozan's arms with a kimedashi (arm barring force out).
- Kimedashi - 1 (0.36% | 0.17%) - https://youtu.be/zIPHDOlU07c?t=7m16s

In an Ozeki highlight bout, Takayasu catches Goeido leaning too far forward at twists him down to the clay using kainahineri (two-handed arm twist down).
- Kainahineri - 1 (0.36% | 0.17%) - https://youtu.be/GFMpBpwymQw?t=11m2s

Ishiura wins the battle of the bottom-dwellers by grabbing Kotoyuki's left arm at the tachiai and pulling him forward, hikkake (arm grabbing force out). This isn't the best example of this technique, Kintamayama even calls it a different technique, tsukiotoshi, but this win was officially declared as hikkake.
- Hikkake - 1 (0.36% | 0.17%) - https://youtu.be/sw2hBHIbiAc?t=34s

Asanoyama gets a grip on the back of Hokutofuji's mawashi and uses a shitatedashinage (pulling underarm throw) to pull Hokutofuji forward, face first into the clay. Asanoyama and Tochiozan were the only two rikishi to perform two unique kimarite!
- Shitatedashinage - 1 (0.36% | 0.26%) - https://youtu.be/GFMpBpwymQw?t=5m58s

Kadoban Ozeki Tochinoshin uses a show of strength to give Chiyotairyu, a larger-than-average rikishi, a little tsuridashi (lift out) boost out of the ring.
- Tsuridashi - 1 (0.36% | 0.26%) - https://youtu.be/sw2hBHIbiAc?t=11m21s

In his return to the top division, Takanoiwa proves he deserves his place on the banzuke, and employs a sotogake (backward leg trip) to catch Tochiozan off balance and send him tumbling to the clay.
- Sotogake - 1 (0.36% | 0.26%) - https://youtu.be/GFMpBpwymQw?t=3m17s

Tochiozan grabs Chiyonokuni's thigh while pushing him out of the ring (watashikomi - thigh grabbing push down) to give Chiyonokuni an early make koshi. 
- Watashikomi - 1 (0.36% | 0.26%) - https://youtu.be/BrjnftUlKsQ?t=8m4s

Kyokutaisei's only win in the tournament comes from this tottari (arm bar throw), in which he significantly injured his knee. Some pretty bad luck for Kyokutaisei, hope he gets some time to heal.
--- don't watch this one if you don't want to see injured Kyokutaisei :/ --- 
- Tottari - 1 (0.36% | 0.26%) - https://youtu.be/Eg2S7oqY_y8?t=2m55s

After a fierce back and forth battle, Chiyoshoma spins Aoiyama down to the clay with this cool looking katasukashi (under-shoulder swing down).
- Katasukashi - 1 (0.36% | 0.87%) - https://youtu.be/r1GufSmGE-Q?t=2m33s

Daieisho performed both of the makiotoshi (twist down) in this basho. Here's a crowd pleaser from day 4 against Okinoumi.
- Makiotoshi - 2 (0.72% | 0.26%) - https://youtu.be/JKRXR3OrfY4?t=3m11s

Shohozan stays balanced against a vicious belly bumping from Kotoshogiku and pulls him down with an uwatedashinage (pulling overarm throw).
- Uwatedashinage - 3 (1.08% | 1.66%) - https://youtu.be/JKRXR3OrfY4?t=5m32s

On day 13, Shodai upsets Tochinoshin with a big sukuinage (beltless arm throw) to keep him one win away from his important kachi koshi.
- Sukuinage - 3 (1.08% | 2.35%) - https://youtu.be/gb3o1HAAMS0?t=13m35s

Takanosho earns his kachi koshi in his top division debut with this oshitaoshi (front push down) against Daieisho on day 14.
- Oshitaoshi - 4 (1.44% | 2.7%) - https://youtu.be/kQ8OVhbNKCo?t=1m50s

Sadanoumi saves himself from defeat at the edge of the ring and employs a shitatenage (under arm throw) to toss Asanoyama off the dohyo.
- Shitatenage - 5 (1.81% | 1.39%) - https://youtu.be/xl3HGgSVxVM?t=7m37s

Kakuryu turns Kaisei around in their day 2 matchup and pushes him out, okuridashi (rear push out). On day 15, Hakuho clinches his undefeated Yusho using okuridashi, giving Kakuryu a taste of his own medicine.
- Okuridashi - 6 (2.17% | 2.7%) - https://youtu.be/Y37V68_XlS8?t=14m22s  | https://youtu.be/ClRHwHZGPBs?t=15m42syoutu.be/ClRHwHZGPBs?t=15m42s

Kagayaki used kotenage (arm lock throw), a potentially dangerous move, twice in this basho, but didn't cause any injury to his victims. Here's his spinning victory against Hokutofuji on day 9.
- Kotenage - 7 (2.53% | 2.01%) https://youtu.be/r1GufSmGE-Q?t=5m48s

Kaisei's solid tournament at his M1 ranking included this highlight victory over Mitakeumi, where he reads Mitakeumi's fake and uses yoritaoshi (front crush out) to crush him off the dohyo and into the first row of fans.
- Yoritaoshi - 10 (3.61% | 2.53%) - https://youtu.be/BrjnftUlKsQ?t=11m3s

Hakuho's Yusho run included a highlight reel of spectacular throws; an uwatedashinage, a shitatenage, a sukuinage, and three uwatenage (overarm throw). His Yusho-clinching 14th victory against Goeido is a great example of the technique.
- Uwatenage - 10 (3.61% | 4.45%) - https://youtu.be/kQ8OVhbNKCo?t=13m56s

Goeido utilized a variety of techniques in his Jun-Yusho run, including two hikiotoshi (hand pull down). Here's a quick example from day 4 against Ikioi.
- Hikiotoshi - 15 (5.42% | 5.23%) - https://youtu.be/JKRXR3OrfY4?t=12m45s

Takakeisho used tsukidashi (front thrust out) three times on his way to his first kachi koshi as a sanyaku. He makes Tamawashi look like a rank-and-filer in this basho's Komusubi battle.
- Tsukidashi - 19 (6.86% | 4.1%) - https://youtu.be/gb3o1HAAMS0?t=11m53s

If you asked me who would use hatakikomi (slap down) the most in this tournament, I definitely wouldn't have guessed it would be Aoiyama. But it proved an effective way to keep weight off of his slightly injured knee, and he used the technique in all three of his wins in the last three days of the tournament.
- Hatakikomi - 24 (8.66% | 8.89%) - https://youtu.be/kQ8OVhbNKCo?t=3m23s

In an amazing recovery, Mitakeumi keeps calm on the edge and uses tsukiotoshi (thrust down) to upset Takayasu on day 14.
- Tsukiotoshi - 31 (11.19% | 7.24%) - https://youtu.be/kQ8OVhbNKCo?t=10m36s

Kisenosato's bouts were always highlight matches in his first tournament back in more than a year. He surprised most of the sumo world and grabbed ten wins, including seven yorikiri (front force out) wins against Kakuryu, Mitakeumi, and this thrilling match against Tochinoshin.
- Yorikiri - 70 (25.27% | 24.67%) - https://youtu.be/r1GufSmGE-Q?t=16m35s

Oshidashi (front push out), the most common kimarite of the basho, was utilized most often by Hokutofuji, who won using oshidashi six times in his nine victories.
- Oshidashi - 82 (29.6% | 25.46%) - https://youtu.be/XgLiLqkW6M0?t=4m50s

Endo's uninspiring tournament could be summed up by his matchup with Hakuho, where he loses his balance trying to pivot back to face his opponent, and commits a koshikudake (inadvertent collapse), one of the five non-techniques.
- Koshikudake - 1 (0.36% | 0.09%) - https://youtu.be/oyR07Ox10jg?t=15m56s

And last but not least, Aminishiki was not fighting in the top division, but he did use tokkurinage (two handed head twist down), a move I have never seen before in the top division, TWICE in the basho! This example against Kotoyuki might be the first time the kimarite has ever been recorded in Makuuchi sumo.
https://youtu.be/B-HDnExNKSs?t=9s

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If you want to learn more about the specific kimarite used in this basho, check out the "KIMARITE" tab, where you can check out my technicolored spreadsheet that I use to keep track of everything. You can start to pick up on wrestler's habits and wrestling styles if they record enough victories.

Thanks to Kintamayama and his YouTube channel for all the videos.

Thanks for reading!