Gyoji and Yobidashi

[WANNAakkaido 14]

Do gyoji and yobidashi also live in stables? Gyoji wear different clothes and shoes depending on rank, so do yobidashi do as well?  Are all gyoji and yobidashi japanese?  

[Seregost 78]

The only thing I know for sure is both live in stables as well. I'd say all of them are japanese, but that's just an assumption. And at least in juryo and makuuchi, gyoji have longer clothes, but that's the reach of my knowledge about the matter.

[Taikoubana 140]

In 'Discover Sumo' — a book I've read that was written by a former top-ranked yobidashi — it's said that they don't believe a foreigner could become a yobidashi, as the kanji would be too hard for them to read/pronounce. To my knowledge, there have been no foreign yobidashi or gyoji thus far.

[Seiyashi 3,459]

10 minutes ago, Taikoubana said:

In 'Discover Sumo' — a book I've read that was written by a former top-ranked yobidashi — it's said that they don't believe a foreigner could become a yobidashi, as the kanji would be too hard for them to read/pronounce. To my knowledge, there have been no foreign yobidashi or gyoji thus far.

I've got the English version of that book by former tate-yobidashi Hideo.

The biggest obstacle for foreign yobidashi and gyoji is that they enter the system at the same time as rikishi - after graduating from middle or high school in Japan - but at that age, very few foreigners would find themselves in Japan looking for a job, and even fewer would have an interest in sumo and the aptitude for the language and cultural aspects that come with it. It's not impossible globally to find 16-18 year olds with kanji proficiency - anywhere in the Chinese diaspora will do, for instance - but some things would have to go very specifically for those same 16-18 year olds to be in Japan and have an interest in sumo and want to be a gyoji or yobidashi. There's no, well, international amateur gyoji/yobidashi competitions, for example. So it's a matter of circumstance more than ability or whatnot.

While junior gyoji and yobidashi often stay at the stable, it's not an absolute requirement that they do. Hideo himself describes looking for a place to rent in his book, and in the recent Tamanoi-beya sitout due to COVID, the attached gyoji and yobidashi all did not stay at the stable and hence could continue to be involved in the dohyo building that was taking place.

[Yamanashi 2,969]

6 hours ago, WANNAakkaido said:

Do gyoji and yobidashi also live in stables? Gyoji wear different clothes and shoes depending on rank, so do yobidashi do as well?  Are all gyoji and yobidashi japanese?  

Based on the NSK website, all Gyoji and Yobidashi are associated with a heya; I doubt the upper-division members live at the heya, though (the image of 61-year old Chief Referee Shikimori Inosuke practicing his footwork over at Takadagawa and then grabbing some chankonabe before sacking out up in his apartment next to Kagayaki and Ryuden seems bizarre -- especially since the sekitori aren't living there anymore!)

[Churaumi 683]

Somewhere on the forum I saw a chart of how much gyoji make. I remember the tate-gyoji being around the equivalent of $80,000 US, which would be enough for a life outside the dohyo. That didn't account for any perks, or gifts from support clubs.

[Seiyashi 3,459]

19 minutes ago, Churaumi said:

Somewhere on the forum I saw a chart of how much gyoji make. I remember the tate-gyoji being around the equivalent of $80,000 US, which would be enough for a life outside the dohyo. That didn't account for any perks, or gifts from support clubs.

26 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

Based on the NSK website, all Gyoji and Yobidashi are associated with a heya; I doubt the upper-division members live at the heya, though (the image of 61-year old Chief Referee Shikimori Inosuke practicing his footwork over at Takadagawa and then grabbing some chankonabe before sacking out up in his apartment next to Kagayaki and Ryuden seems bizarre -- especially since the sekitori aren't living there anymore!)

Hideo's book (pp49 for anyone who has the Gendai Shokan edition translated by Clyde Newton - I picked mine up from the Kokugikan gift shop) notes:

• Yobidashi and gyoji belong to heya, but are free to move out to other lodgings if they want.
  • There were cases of multiple yobidashi/gyoji staying together outside the heya, but in Hideo's opinion that's the same communal arrangement in the heya but you need to pay rent.
• Living in the heya means no additional expenses (so good for more junior yobidashi and gyoji)
  • Terukuni's Isegahama charged 5k yen a month for food and other expenses.
    • For context, Hideo started with 15k yen a month, and this was back in the 1970s. At an inflation rate of 337%, and with 1 USD roughly approximate to 100 JPY today, this means that Hideo's salary was the equivalent of 450 USD today, and the heya charged 150 USD for food and utilities.
      • (I've probably guffed the inflation equivalence up, and would be glad if anyone can confirm or amend this)
  • When Hideo's salary went up, the heya charge didn't; he could save money and move out to buy his own place in his 20s.
• If yobidashi have no work in the heya (preparing tea at 6am for the oyakata, firing up baths, sweeping the keikoba, etc) then they do not need to go to the heya.
  • In Hideo's case, since this was after he had moved out, it was likely that by then he was a more senior yobidashi and these menial tasks were left to the junior yobidashi. It's not stated how often he did or did not go to the heya though.

Edited November 25, 2020 by Seiyashi

[Karasukurai 153]

So the answers seem to be: 'associated', 'no but have ranks' and 'yes at present'.

A Wikipedia and Google search for GYOJI YOBIDASHI HEYA will give hours of fun and entertainment too.

Glad to help

[Seiyashi 3,459]

2 minutes ago, Karasukurai said:

A Wikipedia and Google search for GYOJI YOBIDASHI HEYA will give hours of fun and entertainment too.

Considering its pervasiveness, you'd be surprised to know how many people don't/can't use Google. And I'm not even talking about boomers; my job involves a little university teaching on the side, and even people younger than me (and I'm not that old) have got to be handheld to go search Google or Stack Overflow for hints on approaching their coursework.

[Karasukurai 153]

21 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Considering its pervasiveness, you'd be surprised to know how many people don't/can't use Google.

I believe it, I taught for many years and lots of students, even with IT skills, couldn't seem to work out how to do any form of basic research. I came to the conclusion that quite a few wanted to be 'spoon fed' with tutor handouts rather than make any effort themselves. Of course, there is a lot of complete gibberish online but there's also some really useful stuff too.

Sorry, kind of 

Edited November 25, 2020 by Karasukurai

[Obana 229]

A six minute collection of 15 yobidashi announcements on day 4 of the 2019 January tournament. The different styles/vocal ornamentation is interesting to observe.  The crowd noise makes it difficult to hear/appreciate the announcements in Juryo & Makuuchi from the balcony (none in the compilation).

 

[Katooshu 2,401]

Hirsomasa and Shigejiro could give Takahiro some lessons

[Obana 229]

6 hours ago, Katooshu said:

Hirsomasa and Shigejiro could give Takahiro some lessons

Shigejiro is the Pavarotti of yobidashi.  I would only say it here on the Forum where it is unlikely to get to the original individual, but, Takahiro brings the gerund 'caterwailing' to mind.  Yuto is the most proficient with subtle vocal flourishes.  I love Kohei's crooning of the 'nishi'/'higashi' before going operatic on the shikonas.

[sumojoann 1,116]

1 hour ago, Obana said:

Shigejiro is the Pavarotti of yobidashi.  I would only say it here on the Forum where it is unlikely to get to the original individual, but, Takahiro brings the gerund 'caterwailing' to mind.  Yuto is the most proficient with subtle vocal flourishes.  I love Kohei's crooning of the 'nishi'/'higashi' before going operatic on the shikonas.

I wish I could find a video of Shigeo, a Makuuchi yobidashi who sings just after the midway point of the bouts (about 5:10 PM Japan Time).  He sings like a male angel and brings tears to my eyes with the beauty of his voice.  He draws out the notes and lets them linger in the air.  So beautiful!  He's part of the reason I stay up to watch the live broadcast (2:00-4:00 AM).  I dream of one day hearing him sing something besides the rikishi ditty.

Edited February 4, 2022 by sumojoann

[Inside Sport Japan 680]

All younger and lower ranked urakata (gyoji / yobidashi / tokoyama) live in the stable they are part of. It's no different than lower ranked rikishi.

As with achieving sekitori level for rikishi, once an urakata reaches a certain level they are free to move out, get married etc.

[Kaitetsu 173]

I have a question about the gyoji attire. Shikimori Komei, the jonokuchi gyoji of Naruto-beya, uses on match days the normal knees-length vests with the solid green tassels. But I have seen him os a couple occasions in heya ceremonies using the full length silk one, with white and green tassels, and it got me wondering, do all lower-ranked gyoji own both types of vests or do they borrow them from their seniors? I don't know if anyone actually knows this, I'm just curious.

[Churaumi 683]

I'm speculating here, but I would assume he either borrowed it or the stable has some gyoji robes. Anybody in jonokuchi anything isn't going to be able to buy those.

 

[Kaitetsu 173]

11 minutes ago, Churaumi said:

I'm speculating here, but I would assume he either borrowed it or the stable has some gyoji robes. Anybody in jonokuchi anything isn't going to be able to buy those.

 

Good point, he probably borrowed it, because I wouldn’t assume Naruto-oyakata has a silk gyoji robe on stand-by.

[rhyen 1,584]

4 minutes ago, Kaitetsu said:

Good point, he probably borrowed it, because I wouldn’t assume Naruto-oyakata has a silk gyoji robe on stand-by.

You forget that Naruto beya is an offshoot of Sadotagake, he could have borrowed from them. 

[Kaitetsu 173]

Just now, rhyen said:

You forget that Naruto beya is an offshoot of Sadotagake, he could have borrowed from them. 

True, I did forget hahaha, thanks guys

[Obana 229]

I have a sequel to my hugely successful "The Song of the Yobidashi" (haha)

The video includes six yobidashi not featured in the previous feature.  "The Song of the Yobidashi, the Bark of the Gyoji"  includes some bouts, includes three performances by Shigejiro, "the Pavarotti of the dohyo", includes a two minute segment of a team of yobidashi refreshing the dohyo during a change of judges, a forfeit match (the only time when no yobidashi announcement is made and ends with the transition of the East side dohyo iri and the West when the wooden clappers change.  The change in timber always delights me.  It also includes random gyoji announcements of both wrestlers after the yobidashi as well as announcing the winner of the bout.

 

[sumojoann 1,116]

Thank you for this video.  Next, can you please film the Makuuchi Yobidashi and Gyoji?  There is a Makuuchi Yobidashi named Shigeo who is the best singer of them all.  His voice is incredibly beautiful.  I would be in hog heaven if you made a video of just him singing.  Part of the reason I stay up til 2 AM (my time) to watch the live broadcast of the basho is just to hear him and he only sings twice.  It can sometimes be frustrating because his singing is often drowned out by the announcers going over slow-motion replays.  Shigeo usually sings about 5:10 PM Japan Time.  I don't have a sample of him singing, unfortunately.  I rely on Youtube to hear repeats and the videos of the basho are usually taken down soon after the basho end.

Thanks again for your interest in the Yobidashi and Gyoji.

Edited April 12, 2022 by sumojoann

[Muhomatsu 147]

I was enjoying the young Yobidashi Shintaro last basho.  I was wondering where he was this basho - and do not see him on the Kyokai list or on the Kyokai's Kasugano-beya members site.  I am guessing he retired/quit.  

[Katooshu 2,401]

What was the name of the plumper yobidashi who was a former amasumo competitor and Kaiyo High School team member? 

[Akinomaki 34,925]

18 hours ago, Katooshu said:

What was the name of the plumper yobidashi who was a former amasumo competitor and Kaiyo High School team member? 

On 16/12/2018 at 17:33, Akinomaki said:

The new yobidashi Yuuta Miya for Tagonoura-beya has a unique background: he's 3rd year in the Kaiyo High School sumo club in Niigata. Yobidashi usually start directly after middle school - and are not quite of rikishi built: Yuuta was at over 160kg, went to 148.8 in the documentary, and when the program was aired Nov. 24th had reached 129kg. His job application is a central part of the documentary, with a comment of Tagonoura-oyakata and Takayasu, as Yuuta came to greet him. Yuuta didn't make it to the team for the kokutai and had given up on the path of a rikishi, but wanted to be part of ozumo. He got accepted and will start after graduation.

On 01/03/2019 at 10:35, Akinomaki said:

Yuuta Miya has started the yobidashi training in Tagonoura-beya on Feb 11th, he returned home on the 27th for the graduation ceremony today at the school. He's now given as 174cm, 123kg - and he'll continue to slim down. The heya has handed in  to the NSK the application to employ him as yobidashi, as soon as he gets the approval, he'll start as newbie yobidashi. http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/201903010000162.html

On 29/09/2021 at 18:11, Yubinhaad said:

Tagonoura-beya's Jonokuchi yobidashi Yuta has also retired after just over two years in the job.

Yuuta is gone, Shintaro was still on the list in June, he'll be in the retirees this basho

19 hours ago, Muhomatsu said:

I was enjoying the young Yobidashi Shintaro last basho.  I was wondering where he was this basho - and do not see him on the Kyokai list or on the Kyokai's Kasugano-beya members site.  I am guessing he retired/quit.