Gyoji Vital Stats

[Naganoyama]

I have put together some basic data about Gyoji from the fascinating 2006 NSK directory supplied by the excellent Adachinoryu.I have omitted blood group as I am entirely unable to construe anything about character from it.I have found it quite surprising how young some of the gyoji are on debut.I hope there aren't too many errors!

RANK	GYOJI_NAME	NAME	DOB	PLACE_OF_BIRTH	HEYA	DEBUT
Tate Gyoji	Kimura Shonosuke	Sawada Ikuya	13 - February - 1941	Hokkaido	Dewanoumi	January 1955
Tate Gyoji	Shikimori Inosuke	Tanada Yoshio	10 - February - 1941	Hokkaido	Takanohana	January 1955
Sanyaku Gyoji	Kimura Asanosuke	Nozawa Yoichi	28 - March - 1942	Aomori	Takasago	January 1955
Sanyaku Gyoji	Shikimori Yodayu	Ito Katsuharu	21 - April - 1943	Tokyo	Isenoumi	January 1956
Sanyaku Gyoji	Kimura Ichido	Irieda Masatsugu	04 - March - 1941	Nagasaki	Kitanoumi	January 1955
Makuuchi Gyoji	Kimura Jonosuke	Uchida Junichi	29 - October - 1946	Miyazaki	Tatsunami	April 1962
Makuuchi Gyoji	Shikimori Kandayu	Miura Kunio	17 - August - 1942	Aomori	Isegahama	June 1955
Makuuchi Gyoji	Shikimori Yonokichi	Yamazaki Toshihiro	16 - May - 1948	Kagoshima	Izutsu	April 1964
Makuuchi Gyoji	Kimura Nobutaka	Ueda Nobuhide	27 - February - 1950	Kyoto	Hanaregoma	April 1965
Makuuchi Gyoji	Kimura Shozaburo	Hatakeyama Saburo	16 - March - 1950	Aomori	Oshima	June 1965
Makuuchi Gyoji	Kimura Masanao	Yamauchi Yukihisa	03 - August - 1953	Gifu	Asahiyama	April 1969
Makuuchi Gyoji	Shikimori Kindayu	Nouchi Itsuo	23 - December - 1959	Osaka	Miyagino	February 1975
Makuuchi Gyoji	Kimura Waichiro	Imaoka Hideki	22 - September- 1959	Shimane	Takadagawa	April 1975
Juryo Gyoji	Kimura Tamajiro	Takeda Masashi	27 - December - 1960	Chiba	Tatsunami	February 1976
Juryo Gyoji	Kimura Keinosuke	Horasawa Yuji	30 - October - 1961	Tokyo	Kokonoe	October 1977
Juryo Gyoji	Kimura Zennosuke	Morita Yoshimitsu	12 - September- 1963	Kanagawa	Kasugano	September 1979
Juryo Gyoji	Kimura Konosuke	Kojima Toshiaki	21 - April - 1965	Iwate	Kokonoe	April 1981
Juryo Gyoji	Kimura Hisayuki	Hata Toshikazu	27 - June - 1967	Kagoshima	Oshima	April 1983
Juryo Gyoji	Shikimori Kinnosuke	Kikuchi Hiroshi	15 - November - 1968	Miyagi	Isegahama	April 1984
Juryo Gyoji	Kimura Motoki	Okamura Hiromichi	06 - August - 1968	Tokyo	Minato	April 1984
Juryo Gyoji	Kimura Akijiro	Nakazawa Shigehiro	05 - July - 1970	Hyogo	Mihogaseki	December 1986
Makushita Gyoji	Shikimori Shinnosuke	Oshida Hiromitsu	29 - April - 1973	Chiba	Nishonoseki	March 1989
Makushita Gyoji	Kimura Kenjiro	Itoi Noriyuki	30 - December - 1974	Tokyo	Minezaki	March 1990
Makushita Gyoji	Kimura Yonosuke	Okuno Masashi	04 - February - 1975	Mie	Azumazeki	March 1990
Makushita Gyoji	Shikimori Osamu	Wachi Osamu	17 - July - 1974	Saga	Kiriyama	May 1990
Makushita Gyoji	Kimura Katsujiro	Ishida Katsuya	02 - September- 1972	Kanagawa	Takasago	March 1991
Makushita Gyoji	Kimura Takao	Shigeyama Keiichiro	12 - January - 1976	Osaka	Naruto	March 1991
Makushita Gyoji	Kimura Seiji	Kawahara Makoto	30 - December - 1975	Nagasaki	Hanakago	October 1991
Sandanme Gyoji	Kimura Yukio	Fukunaga Yukihiro	26 - July - 1973	Miyazaki	Tamanoi	January 1992
Sandanme Gyoji	Shikimori Tamao	Mizutani Yoji	31 - July - 1976	Kagoshima	Kataonami	November 1993
Sandanme Gyoji	Kimura Kichijiro	Nishino Masahiro	10 - December - 1977	Tokyo	Hanaregoma	May 1993
Sandanme Gyoji	Kimura Kankuro	Nakamura Yoshimi	25 - December - 1977	Kumamoto	Kitanoumi	May 1993
Sandanme Gyoji	Kimura Yasunosuke	Kobayashi Ryota	17 - April - 1977	Saitama	Dewanoumi	October 1993
Sandanme Gyoji	Kimura Shoji	Sasaya Makoto	04 - April - 1978	Saitama	Kasugano	April 1994
Jonidan Gyoji	Kimura Junnosuke	Katayama Akio	09 - February - 1981	Ibaraki	Hakkaku	October 1998
Jonidan Gyoji	Kimura Yoshio	Majima Yoshihito	06 - December - 1984	Fukushima	Irumagawa	June 2000
Jonidan Gyoji	Kimura Takayoshi	Kawamura Takayoshi	17 - August - 1983	Hiroshima	Tamanoi	February 2001
Jonidan Gyoji	Kimura Ryosuke	Miyasaka Ryosuke	08 - May - 1983	Nagano	Nakamura	October 2001
Jonokuchi Gyoji	Shikimori Daisuke	Hanada Daisuke	20 - July - 1986	Fukuoka	Kagamiyama	April 2002
Jonokuchi Gyoji	Kimura Taiga	Oyama Junichi	18 - November - 1987	Mie	Oshima	April 2003
Jonokuchi Gyoji	Kimura Hideaki	Moriyasu Akira	14 - October - 1985	Hyogo	Chiganoura	October 2003
Jonokuchi Gyoji	Shikimori Kazuki	Sasai Kazuki	12 - August - 1987	Osaka	Arashio	February 2005

[Jonosuke]

A good work.

As of February 10, the following promotions took effect:

To: Tate Gyoji

Kimura Shonosuke - vacant

Shikimori Inosuke - Sanyaku rank Kimura Asanosuke

To: Sanyaku Gyoji

Kimura Jonosuke

Shikimori Kandayu

Shikimori Yonokichi

To: Makuuchi Gyoji

Kimura Tamajiro

Kimura Keinosuke

Kimura Zennosuke

To: Juryo Gyoji

Shikimori Shinnosuke

Kimura Kenjiro

Kimura Yonosuke

Shikimori Osamu

[Guest Buyouzan]

Thanks for the info, Naganoyama.

I have a question for all the sumo gurus:

How do Gyoji get promoted? and who decides? do they ever leave their line of succession, which appears to be determined mostly by their debut year? It looks like Kimura Jonosuke is the only gyoji who has jumped ahead of people older than him. Is he exceptionally good, or is he in a powerful heya? Is "good" determined by how he acts on the dohyou or also by all the other outside activities that a gyoji does?

thanks.

[Jonosuke]

Here's how it should go:

1. Asanosuke will work as Inosuke for several bashos and will be promoted to Kimura Shonosuke

2. Then Yodayu will become a new Inosuke

3. Asanosuke (Shonosuke) will retire after the next year's Haru Basho

4. Yodayu (Inosuke) will become new Shonosuke

5. Kandayu will finally make Tate Gyoji and will be Shikimori Inosuke for a couple of bashos before he retires

(since Yodayu is younger than him, Kandayu will not get a chance to become a Shonosuke).

6. Then at the 2007 Aki Basho, Jonosuke will become Shikimori Inosuke!

7. And lo and behold, at the 2008 Aki Basho, he will finally become Tate Gyoji Kimura Shonosuke despite all his detractors !!

Medetashi, Medetashi (Applauding...)

[Asashosakari]

5. Kandayu will finally make Tate Gyoji and will be Shikimori Inosuke for a couple of bashos before he retires

Are you sure this is going to happen? I mean, it would be nice and all, given that Kimura Jonosuke will become tate-gyoji eventually anyway, but Kandayu is below both Yodayu and Jonosuke in the rank order...

Edited February 7, 2006 by Asashosakari

[Jonosuke]

How do Gyoji get promoted? and who decides?

After each Aki Basho, a meeting is held attended by Judging Director and Associate Directors, Jyungyo Director, Auditors, Guidance Director to prepare an appraisal form of each gyoji (except Shonosuke Kimura and Inosuke Shikimori with less than two years on his job) for the following year's promotion.

Other than seniority, their promotion criteria are not well understood so we really don't know though more than a few "sashi-chigae" will hold him back to the current rank or even a demotion may be possible though this must be rare. But in case of Tate Gyoji, a few additional subjective views may come into the picture as some oyakata may say, "Hey we only have one yokozuna, so why do we need more than one Tate-gyoji", so we may end up having only Inosuke for a year or so.

To a gyoji, it really makes a difference when he joins, as poor Katsujiro is still a Makushita rank while younger Osamu, Yonosuke and Kenjiro made the Juryo ahead of him. Just like rikishis, unless they become a Juryo rank, they are not yet their own man. It means their training status goes well into their 30s.

[Jonosuke]

5. Kandayu will finally make Tate Gyoji and will be Shikimori Inosuke for a couple of bashos before he retires

Are you sure this is going to happen? I mean, it would be nice and all, given that Kimura Jonosuke will become tate-gyoji eventually anyway, but Kandayu is below both Yodayu and Jonosuke in the rank order...

I am never sure of anything these guys do but I figure his retirement coming up so soon, he may get a few sympathy votes and get to be an Inosuke for a basho or two. Once an Inosuke you are always an Inosuke you know.

But then there is always an Ichido...(his kyujo had something like lower back muscle sprain but he was suffering from a diebetes as well). Really felt sorry for him, losing his hat, falling down out of the dohyo on all his own in his last basho and never to return...

[Guest Buyouzan]

thanks, jonosuke!

[Itachiyama]

First I want to say thanks for all the information regarding the Gyoji's as I'm very interested in this.

I would like to add some thoughts resp, questions.

1. At Bandy's Homepage Gyoji Data you can always find the current Gyoji Banzuke with the most data about them. He don't has the real names, but the Kyokai has it on his page. Right now there is some muddle with the Tate-Gyoji (Nodding yes...)

2. Too bad the Sashi-chigae (Monoii/ Torinaoshi) stats are not public. But of course, would be too embarrassing for the Gyoji.

Does anybody has the Gyoji Banzuke or could reconstruct it back to the beginning of Showa, I mean the full one down to Jonokuchi?

At least Doitsuyama will provide us sooner or later with the Gyoji-Banzuke down to Juryo back to the beginning of Showa as far as I can remember.

3.

To a gyoji, it really makes a difference when he joins, as poor Katsujiro is still a Makushita rank while younger Osamu, Yonosuke and Kenjiro made the Juryo ahead of him. Just like rikishis, unless they become a Juryo rank, they are not yet their own man. It means their training status goes well into their 30s.

Well, in this case I remember Katsujiro having had so many Sashi-chigae in Kyushu that it would have been a big surprise if they had promoted him to Juryo instead of the younger ones above him in the Banzuke. On one day, he had 3 Monoii with 2 Sashi-chigae. And he had Sashi-chigae on other days too. Really too bad as he looks very likeable. Nevertheless, as there will be some more retirements within the next time, he don't has to stay Makushita-kaku too long anyway.

4. Does anybody know when the last Gyoji was promoted to Kimura Shonosuke without having been Shikimori Inosuke? Would be interested at least in an overview about all Sanyaku and Tate-Gyoji.

[Jonosuke]

4. Does anybody know when the last Gyoji was promoted to Kimura Shonosuke without having been Shikimori Inosuke?

The 23rd Kimura Shonosuke (Dec 18 1897 - Sep 19 1994) of Asahiyama Beya was known as one of the greatest Shonosukes in sumo history.

In January 1960 when the Kyokai instituted the mandatory retirement policy, both Shonosuke and Inosuke (19th Inosuke was known as the Bearded Inosuke) retired and their position became vacant. Then Kimura Masanao (2nd) was installed as the 23rd Shonosuke without becoming an Inosuke.

Incidentally the 22nd Shonosuke was 69 years old when he was forced to retire because of the Kyokai's mandatory retirement but he felt he could go on some more. He lived to be 104 years old. The last Shonosuke (32nd) was his Deshi.

Edited February 9, 2006 by Jonosuke

[Naganoyama]

I notice that the gyoji are mildly clustered round particular places of birth (hotspots include some of the same places that many rikishi come from) and heya (Musashigawa has no gyoji but Oshima has 3).Here is the breakdown.

HEYA	GYOJI
Oshima	3
Dewanoumi	2
Hanaregoma	2
Isegahama	2
Kasugano	2
Kitanoumi	2
Kokonoe	2
Takasago	2
Tamanoi	2
Tatsunami	2
Arashio	1
Asahiyama	1
Azumazeki	1
Chiganoura	1
Hakkaku	1
Hanakago	1
Irumagawa	1
Isenoumi	1
Izutsu	1
Kagamiyama	1
Kataonami	1
Kiriyama	1
Mihogaseki	1
Minato	1
Minezaki	1
Miyagino	1
Nakamura	1
Naruto	1
Nishonoseki	1
Takadagawa	1
Takanohana	1

31 heya

BIRTHPLACE	GYOJI
Tokyo	5
Aomori	3
Kagoshima	3
Osaka	3
Chiba	2
Hokkaido	2
Hyogo	2
Kanagawa	2
Mie	2
Miyazaki	2
Nagasaki	2
Saitama	2
Fukuoka	1
Fukushima	1
Gifu	1
Hiroshima	1
Ibaraki	1
Iwate	1
Kumamoto	1
Kyoto	1
Miyagi	1
Nagano	1
Saga	1
Shimane	1

24 birthplaces

[Jejima]

Why no blood types? You can tell a lot about a person's personality from their blood type - allegedly (Nodding yes...)

Edit: The above comment is tongue-in-cheek, but I realise that many Japanese take blood types seriously like some people treat horoscopes. ....

Edited February 9, 2006 by Jejima

[Naganoyama]

1. At Bandy's Homepage Gyoji Data you can always find the current Gyoji Banzuke with the most data about them.

Thanks for reminding me about this great site. I keep going to it when I have no time to take in properly just how much information there is there. You have at least saved me from posting more duplicate data, (about Yobidashi), which I was about to compile.

I was wondering where Bandey's source data comes from as the NSK site has only a subset of this data available. Perhaps Bandey you could let me know the answer yourself if you read this message ?

[Nekonishiki Banji]

1. At Bandy's Homepage Gyoji Data you can always find the current Gyoji Banzuke with the most data about them.

Thanks for reminding me about this great site. I keep going to it when I have no time to take in properly just how much information there is there. You have at least saved me from posting more duplicate data, (about Yobidashi), which I was about to compile.

I was wondering where Bandey's source data comes from as the NSK site has only a subset of this data available. Perhaps Bandey you could let me know the answer yourself if you read this message ?

Hi, sorry for the late reply, but I have no internet at weekends now. I have all my data collected from the NSK site (I don't even have another source). I always use the Japanese section only, and I can find everything there. As I recall now, they don't list much data in the gyoji and yobidashi lists, but if you check the page of the heya, you can find the birthdate and hatsudohyo (but no shusshin :().

[Naganoyama]

1. At Bandy's Homepage Gyoji Data you can always find the current Gyoji Banzuke with the most data about them.

Thanks for reminding me about this great site. I keep going to it when I have no time to take in properly just how much information there is there. You have at least saved me from posting more duplicate data, (about Yobidashi), which I was about to compile.

I was wondering where Bandey's source data comes from as the NSK site has only a subset of this data available. Perhaps Bandey you could let me know the answer yourself if you read this message ?

Hi, sorry for the late reply, but I have no internet at weekends now. I have all my data collected from the NSK site (I don't even have another source). I always use the Japanese section only, and I can find everything there. As I recall now, they don't list much data in the gyoji and yobidashi lists, but if you check the page of the heya, you can find the birthdate and hatsudohyo (but no shusshin :().

Thanks. I thought you must be compiling this data yourself. I extracted it the data from the rikishi directory but this is a high maintenance approach and a bit subject to error.

[Kintamayama]

Asashouryuu is nice to the chief gyoji again. After giving part of his kensho-kin to the top gyoji who retired in November, he gave the current Kimura Shonosuke (who retired on the 12th) a nice bouquet of flowers.

Nice bouquet of flowers: