other-martial-arts
Sotogake
Image: TokyoWaltz / Original illustration · All rights reserved
Sotogake is an official sumo kimarite in which the attacker hooks the opponent’s opposite leg from outside, pulls it away, and drops backward. The clearest cue is that the attacking leg wraps outside the opponent’s leg and removes it from behind. Sotogake attacks from outside; Uchigake enters inside the leg, and Kirikaeshi props at the knee without wrapping the leg. The practical English gloss “Outside leg 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 | 外掛け |
|---|---|
| Reading | そとがけ |
| Group | Leg techniques (掛け手) |
| English guide | Outside leg trip |
| Official no. | 22 |
What happens
The result is recorded when the attacker hooks the opponent’s opposite leg from outside, pulls it away, and drops backward.
How to spot it
Watch the decisive action, then confirm the result and the closest alternative.
- Action the attacking leg wraps outside the opponent’s leg and removes it from behind.
- Result the attacker hooks the opponent’s opposite leg from outside, pulls it away, and drops backward.
- Compare Sotogake attacks from outside; Uchigake enters inside the leg, and Kirikaeshi props at the knee without wrapping the leg.
Similar techniques
Sotogake attacks from outside; Uchigake enters inside the leg, and Kirikaeshi props at the knee without wrapping the leg. The related pages Chongake and Kirikaeshi offer useful visual comparisons.
Name
Sotogake is written 外掛け and read そとがけ. It belongs to Leg techniques (掛け手); “Outside leg trip” is a practical English guide, not an official translation.
Context
Sotogake 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 565 Sotogake results, 0.3% of 190,450 bouts from January 2013 through the final day of the July 2026 tournament, and listed the technique 20th 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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