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    Kami-shiho-gatame

    上四方固 · かみしほうがため · upper four-quarter hold · said KAH-mee shee-HOH gah-TAH-meh

    Also known as north-south position (BJJ)

    About this techniqueJump to step by stepPlain text version

    Demonstrations

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    Kami-shiho-gatame illustration

    The osaekomi clock

    Scores yuko at five seconds, waza-ari at ten and ippon at twenty, which ends the contest.

    Sport and Organisation Rules of the International Judo Federation: refereeing rules, 2026 edition, Article 7.

    About this technique

    Tori controls uke from above the head, gripping the belt under both shoulders, chest over uke's face and chest.

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    A technique to hold down the opponent’s upper body under the chest and abdomen region by gripping both sides of his belt with both hands from the top side of his head while he is lying on his back.
    The Kodokan's definition

    Key points

    1. Grip the belt under both of uke's shoulders
    2. Clamp uke's arms with your elbows
    3. Keep your weight forward through your chest, legs spread or knees tucked

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    grappling techniques

    At a glance

    , classification, Gokyo set, Kodokan number, contest rules, grades that require it
    What it is
    Katame-waza (grappling techniques).
    Kodokan number
    605 (KSG).
    Contest rules
    No rule singles it out.
    Osaekomi clock
    Scores yuko at five seconds, waza-ari at ten and ippon at twenty, which ends the contest.
    Also written
    Hon-kami-shiho-gatame.
    Required for

    Step by step

    These steps describe the standard right-handed form without relying on the video.

    1. Your partner lies on their back; kneel above their head, facing down the line of their body.
    2. Slide both arms beneath their shoulders and grip the belt on each side of their waist, your forearms lying along their sides.
    3. Clamp their arms between your elbows and your body so both are trapped.
    4. Lower your chest over their face and chest, your head low against their belly line, and either spread your legs wide behind you, toes driving, or tuck both knees against their shoulders.
    5. Hold with forward pressure through the chest; as they wriggle or bridge, drive gently forward from the toes and re-settle so the space under you never opens.

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    Receiving it

    The weight arrives from above your head, arms threaded under your shoulders, your own arms clamped: reaching for anything is suddenly hard. It feels smothering rather than sharp, so keep your breathing deliberate. Escapes come from your legs and hips: shrimp sideways, turn onto a shoulder, work an arm free. Tap clearly on them or the mat if you are held and need to stop.

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    VI judo notes

    Find the hold from the head end by sliding both arms down their sides until your hands meet the belt, which tells you immediately whether you are square. Read their escapes through your chest: a bridge arrives as a lift under your ribs, a turn as one shoulder dropping away. Answer both the same way, driving forward from the toes and settling again so no space opens under you.

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    Named variations

    Sankaku-kami-shiho-gatame

    The upper four-quarter hold with uke's head and one arm enclosed in a triangle of the legs. Bongard's aide-memoire lists it with sankaku-jime and sankaku-gatame as sharing the kami-shiho-gatame base.

    In competition

    , how often it scores at IJF level, and two contests where it worked

    Senior IJF competition, 2020 to 2026, from 73,099 contests. Counts scores, not attempts.

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    In combinations, counters and transitions

    , 1 recorded, 14 awaiting review

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    Escapes from it

    How it is taught elsewhere

    Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has published guidance on this. Choose whose to show under Organisations' own guidance on My progress.

    Reference pages elsewhere

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