Judo technique

Kata-guruma

Pronunciation: kah-tah goo-roo-mah
Meaning: Shoulder wheel

Recognize Uke carried across both shoulders.

Technique image: Kneeling Kata-guruma variation: Tori in white carries Uke across the shoulders. In the Kata, Tori stands up.

Understand the technique

is a shoulder wheel in . gets low under , carries Uke across both shoulders, and wheels Uke off toward a front corner. Lying across both shoulders sets it apart from , where Uke turns over one shoulder and the back.

How it works

Get under and load the shoulders

In the right-sided version, Tori draws Uke forward with sleeve control, lowers beneath Uke, and supports the inside of Uke’s right thigh with the right arm. Tori lifts with the legs so Uke lies across both shoulders.

Wheel off to the front corner

Tori directs the wheel toward Tori’s left front corner and keeps supporting Uke until the landing, with no head or neck impact. The other side mirrors this example. The illustration shows a kneeling variation. Holding the thigh like this is not allowed in IJF standing contests; contest versions without a leg grab need a different entry.

Common mistakes

Letting Uke slide off

If Tori lets go or tips Uke off the shoulders unsupported, Uke falls without control and can land on the head. Keep both hands working until Uke has landed.

Lifting with the back

Bending forward and hauling Uke up with the back strains Tori and makes the load unstable. Get low first, keep the back straight, and lift with the legs.

First learning focus

First observe how Uke lies across both shoulders. Then compare the kneeling variation in the illustration with the standing Kata form.