Kami-shiho-gatame (upper four-corner hold) is the pin where tori sets up at uke's head, chest to chest, and grabs his belt by passing both arms under his shoulders. It locks both shoulders at once, which makes it very hard to roll. Among the judo groundwork pins, this one asks for the least strength and the most positioning.
Getting into kami-shiho-gatame
Uke is on his back. You come in behind his head and slide both arms under his shoulders, outside his arms, to grab the belt on each side of his hips. Your elbows clamp his arms to his body.
Your chest rests on his. Your head is turned to the side, cheek on his stomach or solar plexus. For the legs you have two options:
- knees on the mat, spread on either side of his head, toes curled under to drive forward;
- legs stretched out behind you and spread, hips low, stomach almost on the mat.
The first version is more mobile. The second is heavier and less tiring. Most people learn the kneeling version first, then switch to straight legs once uke starts moving hard.
The mistake that loses everything
High hips. As soon as your hips rise, your weight goes into your knees instead of crushing uke's chest. He breathes, pushes and turns. Keep the feeling of being glued to him and of creeping slightly toward his head on your toes.
The second common mistake is pulling on the belt with your hands. The elbows do the controlling, by crushing his arms against his sides. The hands are only anchors.
Kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame, the competition version
In randori the pure form breaks down quickly because uke slips an arm between you. The kuzure (modified) version solves that. One of your arms goes under uke's arm and grips the collar behind his neck. The other hand keeps the belt or controls his other arm. You shift to an angle, one shoulder closer to his head.
That angle changes everything. You follow his hip movement more easily, and the captured arm can no longer push. This is the version you see most in competition and the one to favor in randori. The basic form is still useful for understanding pressure, and it is the one shown in the katame-no-kata.
How to escape kami-shiho-gatame
Against a well-placed tori, exploding right away is pointless. The reliable escapes:
- Slide your forearms against his shoulders or under his armpits to build a frame. The goal is to win four inches, not to lift him.
- Turn your hips to one side by walking your feet. Once your body is no longer lined up with his, the pressure drops.
- Get a knee back between you, then the whole leg. You are back in guard.
- If you manage to roll onto your stomach, the pin is broken (toketa). You will be in turtle, which brings other dangers, but the clock stops.
A bridge alone only works if tori's hips are high. Combine it with a shoulder turn so it actually does something.
Transitions from the top
Kami-shiho-gatame is a hub. Uke turns to one side to escape? Slide along his body into yoko-shiho-gatame. He raises an arm to push your head? That is your opening for kata-gatame. Keep rotating until you sit on his stomach and you are in tate-shiho-gatame.
BJJ players know this position as north-south. They use it more as a transition than as a pin, which makes sense: their rules do not count seconds of control. BJJ guard passing often ends up in this top position too.
How to train it
A basic drill: uke starts under kami-shiho-gatame with thirty seconds to escape. Tori may switch variations but may not move to another pin. Count how many times uke gets out. Change partners every round, or everyone learns the other's habits.
The gokyo judo page explains how the Kodokan techniques are organized if you want the bigger picture. Also note in your training journal which variation holds best against your heavier partners. It is almost never the same one that works against the lighter ones.