Gyoji — Referee
A gyoji (行司) is a sumo referee. Gyoji are professional officials who enter the Japan Sumo Association as teenagers and spend their entire career officiating bouts, progressing through a ranked hierarchy that mirrors the wrestler rankings.
The most senior gyoji holds the title tate-gyoji and officiates the final bouts of the tournament day, including yokozuna matches. The tate-gyoji traditionally carries a short sword (tanto) symbolizing his willingness to commit ritual suicide if he makes an incorrect decision — though this is purely ceremonial in modern times.
Gyoji wear elaborate silk robes whose colors and designs indicate their rank. They carry a war fan (gunbai) used to signal the start of the bout and to indicate the winner. After a bout, the gyoji points the gunbai toward the winning side.
Gyoji also handle the pre-bout rituals, including announcing the wrestlers' names and managing the timing of the tachiai. Their chanting and movements are an essential part of the ceremony and spectacle of sumo.