Gyōji
A gyōji is a referee employed by the Japan Sumo Association, responsible for a variety of activities which concern the organisation of the sport in general and the refereeing of matches, as well as the preservation of professional sumo culture, deeply rooted in Shinto traditions. Subject to the same strict hierarchy and traditional appearance as the other professions gravitating around professional sumo, the are one of the most visible professions at tournaments, being the third person in the and sometimes defined as "an essential part of the sumo spectacle."
Inherited from a tradition of refereeing dating back to the Heian period, did not take on their current role until the Tenshō era in the late 16th century. Since the end of the 18th century, have been entrusted with religious functions, which they perform during the consecration of combat areas, before tournaments or in the stables to which they belong. The 's responsibilities also include drafting the, the document defining the promotion or demotion of wrestlers, and supervise match selections made by the on each tournament day.
History
The role of referee in sumo began long before the was entrusted with it. During the Heian period, the role of match referee was not yet defined, and besides the wrestlers, there were a number of officials responsible for supervising matches. These roles were given to imperial guards bearing the title of, a rank bearing the same kanji as the spelling of. These officials, dressed as archers and carrying bows and quivers, were accompanied by substitutes, the, who were dressed in the same way and were responsible for keeping the scorebook. An official, Shiga-no-Seirin, was appointed by Emperor Shōmu and founded one of the first hereditary lines of referees, and is also credited with establishing the original forty-eight sumo techniques. During the same period, the term "" also appeared, but the role of the staff bearing this title, all sixth-tier courtiers, was confined to administrative organization and various tasks linked to the court ceremony alongside the sumo tournaments. At the start of the Kamakura shogunate, still did not referee matches, this role falling to, or 'sumo magistrates'. During the Muromachi period, the term began to be applied to samurai-ranked referees, involved in the temporary judging of matches between wrestlers.In 1570, however, Oda Nobunaga appointed two warriors from his retinue to the role of and gave them the task of organizing the shogunate's sumo tournaments. During the Tokugawa shogunate, sumo became popular but the, in an effort to moralize society, banned traditional tournaments organized as part of festivals. As the sport began to be sponsored by the local lords, and in order to eliminate conflicts that would lead to the shogunate's ban on sumo, referee families taught sumo etiquette, rules and techniques to professional wrestlers in various domains. With the incorporation of Shinto elements into sumo traditions during the Tokugawa shogunate, the role of took on even greater importance, emerging as surrogate priests. As a result, requiring licenses to exercise the role of referee became extremely valuable, and by the early 18th century two families stood out in the legal control of : the House of Yoshida Tsukasa and the, both originating from the long tradition of local lords appointing their own officials to train wrestlers sponsored by their domain.
Before the national standardization of sumo organizations, the sporting landscape was divided between several associations scattered around the country, the largest developing in Edo, Kyoto and Osaka. At the end of the 18th century, around 1780, the Edo-based sumo association began a long period of domination of the national sumo scene. Yoshida Tsukasa, the clan controlling the observance of etiquette in Edo, took advantage of this gain in popularity to consolidate its authority over the other hereditary lines of referees, leading to the sole recognition of the referee traditions inherited from this family, which continues to the present. During the mid-Edo period, the role of asserted itself and began to take on its current form, with the use of the and the wearing of the ceremonial kimono.
Career and ranking
Ring names
Like wrestlers and most other professions involved in professional sumo, do not work under their real name, but under a pseudonym similar to the, or ring name, used by wrestlers. In modern times, all will take either the family name Kimura or Shikimori as their professional name, depending on the tradition recruits are joining. Within these two families, the names of the two highest-ranking members never change and the two top are always called Shikimori Inosuke, the junior, and Kimura Shōnosuke, his senior.With the rise in importance and popularity of sumo during the Edo period, many hereditary lines of referees became codified, and some sought the patronage of the House of Yoshida Tsukasa. Around 1770, several lineages existed simultaneously and officiated throughout Japan under the influence of the Yoshida, such as the Iwai Sauma in Kyoto, Shakushi Ichigaku in Osaka, Hattori Shikiemon in Higo and Suminoe Shikikuro in Nagasaki. Between 1726 and 1729, the referees named Kimura Shōnosuke and Shikimori Godaiyū sought patronage from the Yoshida and began working as referees in the Edo-based association. According to a genealogy tree produced by the 6th Shōnosuke during the Meiwa era, the name Kimura Shōnosuke was originally adopted during the Kan'ei era by Nakadachi Uzaemon, a vassal of the Sanada clan, who was the third-generation head of a hereditary line of referees. The Shikimori, however, descend from a different lineage, founded by a former wrestler who became an elder under the name Isenoumi Godaiyū. He later changed his name to Shikimori Godaiyū and launched his own line of referees. Between 1765 and 1774, one of his descendants, named Shikimori Inosuke, established himself as a prominent figure and was appointed as one of the highest referee, second only to Kimura Shōnosuke; thus de facto taking the lead in his line.
Today, the lineage of referees is mostly extinct, with the exception of the Kimura and Shikimori families which are the names of the two most powerful lines of referees to have made their mark since the middle of the 18th century. Today's must choose to belong to one of these two lines.
surnames may be influenced by stable traditions. The two families are not equal; their heads, for example, do not have quite the same rank, a Kimura still being considered a senior compared to a Shikimori. The Kimura family is also much larger, with almost twice as many members as the Shikimori. At one time, there was still a blood tie between the members of these families, but nowadays the relationship between families is primarily hierarchical, with switching between families as they are promoted through the ranks, particularly when they reach the top of the hierarchy. Thus, the referee named Shikimori Inosuke, head of the Shikimori, will take the name Kimura Shōnosuke, and will therefore change family, if the latter retires. Other examples of promotion in the other family included notably that of the who changed from the Kimura family to the Shikimori family when he gave up his name of Kimura Waichirō to become the eleventh Shikimori Kandayū upon his promotion to the ranks of in 2012. The had been with the Kimura family from his debut in September 1979 until his promotion in January 2025.
As rise through the ranks and begin officiating higher divisions, they can change their first name to that of a past, thus taking on a more prestigious name, often part of a long tradition. For example, the name Shikimori Kandayū has been passed down for more than two hundred years. Other traditions may, on the contrary, encourage the referee to keep his name or to be given a unique one linked to his stable.
Each lineage of referee has its own traditions, one of the most visible being the handling of the when the latter is pointed in one direction to determine a winner: Kimura referees keep the back of their fist upward, while Shikimori referees have their palm facing upward.
System of promotion
The maximum number of allowed in the Sumo Association is 45., there are 43 within the Sumo Association. Like the, the are employed directly by the Japan Sumo Association but are affiliated with the stables like wrestlers. New recruits do not have to meet height or weight requirements and it is even implied that a small is preferable, for aesthetic reasons, as it creates a greater contrast with the taller and bigger wrestlers. Many are former wrestlers who could not rise in the professional world and decided to change their path. Prior to 1972, the began their training at the age of six or seven, before becoming referees in real-life situations between the ages of thirteen and fourteen, while at the same time receiving a normal education. Recruits now begin their career around the age of fifteen or sixteen, after graduating from junior high school. then work up a career ladder based on the professional sumo divisions until their retirement at 65. The current ranking system consists of the following eight ranks, listed in descending order:Junior evolve under the tutelage of their seniors. Unlike wrestlers, have no training school for their initial training, and learn everything from the master under whom they are placed. It usually takes a 15 years to be promoted to the ranks. It takes another 15 years to be promoted to officiating matches. The usually have anywhere from 40 to 50 years of experience. There are exceptions, notably the who was promoted to Shikimori Inosuke at the age of 48 in 1973, making him the youngest in the history of the sport. As referees are promoted, the number of matches they can officiate is reduced. Young can referee up to ten matches in a day, while their seniors can referee two at most. At the top of the hierarchy, both usually referee a single match. However, this rule may be called into question in the event of a playoff on the last day of the tournament. In this case, the who officiated the last match before the playoff gives way to the referee sitting at the foot of the ring, even if the latter had already judged the penultimate match of the day. The two organize themselves so that they do not have to officiate several tournament playoffs in a row.
Compared to other professions outside professional sumo, or compared to wrestlers' salaries, pay is low but still higher than that of. Top-ranked earn between 400,000 and 500,000 yen. The basic salary for a -ranked is between 42,000 yen to 100,000 yen. Like wrestlers, however, receive bonuses after each tournament.
Prior to July 1993, the were the only profession of sumo unrelated to wrestler to be featured in the, the traditional rankings of sumo. Since then, the upper-ranked also have their names automatically included on the. The names of the are listed in the center vertical column above the names of the judges and below the and the tournament dates and site.
, like wrestlers, are deprived of certain freedoms unless they reach a certain rank, and are required, for example, to live in their own stable. However, unlike wrestlers, who have the option of living elsewhere once they reach the rank of, can move once they reach the rank of. who have achieved status are assigned just as top wrestlers are. These may be junior referees or lower-ranked wrestlers, the latter being considered unlucky because there is a superstition in the sumo world that a wrestler serving a will not go on to have a successful career. The may have a maximum of two assistants, when the referees ranked below him have only one. ranked near the top of the hierarchy can use an akeni, a bamboo and luggage box dating back to the Edo period, to transport their personal belongings. also have their names displayed on at the entrance to the arenas where tournaments are held. In the past, retired who had managed to secure an elder-share could remain in the Japan Sumo Association as elders, but the practice is no longer permitted.
| Rank | Name | Stable | Real name | Date of birth | Promotion | |
| Kimura ShōnosukeXXXIX | Kokonoe | Yūji Horasawa | January 2025 | |||
| Shikimori InosukeXLIII | Kasugano | Yoshimitsu Morita | January 2025 | |||
| Kimura Kōnosuke | Kokonoe | Toshiaki Kojima | January 2019 | |||
| Kimura Hisanosuke | Ōshima | Toshikazu Hata | January 2024 | |||
| Shikimori KandayūXII | Asahiyama | Hiroshi Kikuchi | January 2025 |