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 referees hold the title tate-gyoji and officiate late top-division bouts. Their formal dress includes a short sword. It represents the gravity and responsibility attached to their decisions rather than a modern penalty for an error.
Gyoji wear elaborate robes whose details indicate rank. They carry a fan called a gunbai and point it toward the wrestler they judge to have won. That first decision can be reviewed by the ringside shimpan through a monoii.
During a bout, the gyoji uses calls such as hakkeyoi and nokotta to urge action and indicate that the contest remains live. Gyoji have duties beyond refereeing as well, including banzuke calligraphy and participation in ceremonies.