nekodamashi

{{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}}{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}

{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}

{{nihongo|Nekodamashi|猫騙し, ねこだまし}} is a distraction technique in the sport of sumo wrestling, literally translating to "fool-the-cat trick".{{Cite book |last=Schilling |first=Mark |title=Sumo: A Fan's Guide |date=1994 |publisher=Japan Times |isbn=9784789007252 |location=Tokyo |pages=121}} At the start of the bout (tachi-ai), a wrestler claps his hands in front of his opponent's face, causing him to blink. It is a way for smaller wrestlers to gain an advantage, allowing them to jump behind a larger and stronger opponent, or dive in more closely.

Nekodamashi requires there to be a fair amount of space between the wrestlers at the tachi-ai. Using the technique is also a gamble: if it miscarries, it leaves the wrestler wide open to his opponent's attack.

Nekodamashi is not listed as a kimarite (winning technique); even in the unlikely situation that a wrestler is so surprised by a nekodamashi that he falls over, the winning technique is simply recorded as higi (non-technique victory).

Famous sumo wrestlers to have used the nekodamashi over the years include Mainoumi, Ōtsukasa, yokozuna Hakuhō in November 2015, and former yokozuna Mienoumi.