other-martial-arts
Chongake
Image: TokyoWaltz / Original illustration · All rights reserved
Chongake is an official sumo kimarite in which the attacker’s same-side toes hook the opponent’s heel from inside while the upper body arches and twists sideways or backward. The clearest cue is that the foot catches the heel with a small toe hook as the torso supplies the turn. Chongake uses the toes against the heel; Uchigake and Sotogake use larger leg hooks around the opponent’s leg. The practical English gloss “Heel-hook trip” is a viewing aid rather than an official translation. Focus on the contact that causes the final movement and on whether the opponent is forced out, falls, or is thrown. Earlier exchanges may create the opening, but the kimarite names the action that actually decides the bout.
Overview
| Japanese | ちょん掛け |
|---|---|
| Reading | ちょんがけ |
| Group | Leg techniques (掛け手) |
| English guide | Heel-hook trip |
| Official no. | 23 |
What happens
The result is recorded when the attacker’s same-side toes hook the opponent’s heel from inside while the upper body arches and twists sideways or backward.
How to spot it
Watch the decisive action, then confirm the result and the closest alternative.
- Action the foot catches the heel with a small toe hook as the torso supplies the turn.
- Result the attacker’s same-side toes hook the opponent’s heel from inside while the upper body arches and twists sideways or backward.
- Compare Chongake uses the toes against the heel; Uchigake and Sotogake use larger leg hooks around the opponent’s leg.
Similar techniques
Chongake uses the toes against the heel; Uchigake and Sotogake use larger leg hooks around the opponent’s leg. The related pages Kirikaeshi and Kawazugake offer useful visual comparisons.
Name
Chongake is written ちょん掛け and read ちょんがけ. It belongs to Leg techniques (掛け手); “Heel-hook trip” is a practical English guide, not an official translation.
Context
Chongake can emerge directly from the tachiai, after a prolonged exchange, or as a counter when posture and footing change. Left-right orientation, wrestler size, and camera angle can alter its appearance without changing the classification.
Statistics
The Japan Sumo Association table consulted on 12 September 2026 counted 25 Chongake results, 0.01% of 190,450 bouts from January 2013 through the final day of the July 2026 tournament, and listed the technique 58th in that bounded dataset. This is a dated sample, not a timeless probability; check the association’s live page for later totals.
Sources
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