第三教 · Dai Sankyo

Kata Guruma 肩車

Shoulder Wheel

Kata Guruma (Shoulder Wheel), sumi-e ink drawing of the judo throw
The throw
Farmer flips the grain sack: the everyday analogy for Kata Guruma
Farmer flips the grain sack

Mechanic

Tori drops low, pulls uke's arm so their body folds across tori's shoulders, draped like a load in a fireman's carry, then stands and wheels uke across the shoulders, rolling them off the far side to the mat.

Analogy

A farmer squats, hoists a huge sack of grain across the shoulders, and carries it balanced behind the neck. At the wagon, one heave, and the sack rolls end over end across the shoulders and tumbles off the far side.

Why it maps

The shoulders are the axle in both: a long load draped across them is lifted from one side and wheeled over to drop off the other, which is exactly what 'shoulder wheel' means.