Hi everyone! Nice to meet you again! It is How Unique Japan.
In this article, we would love to talk about Sumo wrestling again. (If you haven’t seen the article, Sumo Westling, please click here.)
However, it is not about the wrestlers. It is about a referee named Gyoji.
Then, who is the ref for the Sumo?
You might have seen a dressed man with a kimono, hakama, and a fan standing between the two wrestlers when the match started. It is the referee in Sumo Wrestling, known as a Gyoji.
Like the other sports, he rules the match. For example, he keeps his eyes on the two wrestlers fighting, watching for any movement that might be a penalty, and then decides which one wins, as it is his duty.
However, refs are not only for judgment. They have several duties, each of which is intense—for example, writing wrestlers’ names on the tournament board with the Shuji (a traditional Japanese penmanship style) and event planning for the game season.
So, they are also the management.
One more. The Gyoji creates and keeps all fight records.
Indeed. They are SUPER BUSY!
How do they get the Job?
Becoming the ref is extremely tough. A few people could achieve success.
How many people could, every year? It is ONLY ONE.
Thus, the total number of refs is not many. The official institution of Sumo has only 45 members, and they hire only one new member every year. So, it is an elite profession/career.
One more surprise. There are no interviews or exams. So then, who could be the Gyozi?
First, he must join a sumo club before they turn 19 years old.
*The retired wrestler can make his club. However, he needs permission to open the club from the sumo official institution.
After he joins, he works as an attendant for the higher-ranked wrestler and waits till a recommendation (from the institution) comes.
It is a long journey indeed. However, it is not yet!
If someone accepts the recommendation, they move from the club to a technical training school and study refereeing for three years!
During school, he learns how to call out wrestlers’ names, determine the winner or loser, and understand the rules.
OMG.
We forgot to add one more. The students also learn penmanship.
The payment
The referees are ranked the same as the sumo wrestlers. It means the new Gyoji can not earn a high payment. The average payment for the first month would be $1,066 (US). It is not much.
But a high-ranked ref can earn good money. The outcome will be $2,711 or $3,389.
Then, how about a penalty?
The penalty for misjudgment is strict.
If the Gyoji misses judges 6 or 9 times, he will get a rank downgrade. (If he did wrong three times in one match, he would lose one rank with no excuse.).
Sumo wrestling is one of the most official sports in Japan. Therefore, any license to be a wrestler or ref is so hard. (To be honest, we thought there were too many strict rules!)
To close
Sumo wrestling is one of the most official sports in Japan. Therefore, any license to be a wrestler or ref is so hard indeed. (To be honest, I thought there were too many strict rules!)
If you have the chance to see some matches of the Sumo, we recommend you observe any details including the ref, the Gyoji. You will notice that there is more uniqueness.
Few. It is all today. Thank you so much for reading this article!
However, it is not yet. We still have the other ones categorized into four. They are Japanese lifestyle, Food, the Edo era, and Religions.
Oh, and feel free to visit our front page.
Are you interested in them? Please try!
OK. See you for the next article!