Yobidashi

The "yobidashi" (呼出 or 呼び出し) (announcer or beckoner) calls a professional sumo wrestler, or "rikishi", to the "dohyō" (wrestling ring) immediately prior to his bout. He does this by calling the name of each wrestler fighting in turn whilst holding a traditional folding fan.

Uniform

The outfit worn by the "yobidashi" is loosely based on an old style Japanese workman's outfit, with leggings and split-toed "tabi"-like boots.

Responsibilities

In keeping with their workman outfits the "yobidashi" are actually the Sumo Association's handymen, or odd-job men, and have a wide variety of tasks. These include on match days: sweeping the ring, providing purification salt and ensuring that during a bout no wrestler injures himself on the bucket of "chikara-mizu" (power water) situated at one corner of the ring. They also can be seen displaying the advertising banners of companies who sponsor particular match ups between popular wrestlers. They also are responsible for playing drums outside the arena (traditionally to attract customers) on match days.

The "yobidashi" also build the clay wrestling ring (or "dohyō") for tournaments and display competitions, and rings for the training stables. There is also a tradition of the "yobidashi" writing songs, called "jinku", based on sumo life.

Career and ranking

Like "gyoji", "yobidashi" typically enter the sumo world as teenagers and work up a career ladder roughly based on the ranking system for wrestlers, as described until their retirement at 65. The current ranking system was created in July 1993 and consists of the following nine ranks:

* "tate-yobidashi" (立呼出)
* "fuku-tate-yobidashi" (副立呼出)
* "sanyaku-yobidashi" (三役呼出)
* "makuuchi-yobidashi" (幕内呼出)
* "juryo-yobidashi" (十両呼出)
* "makushita-yobidashi" (幕下呼出)
* "sandanme-yobidashi" (三段目呼出)
* "jonidan-yobidashi" (序二段呼出)
* "jonokuchi-yobidashi" (序ノ口呼出)

Most of these ranks clearly follow those for the "rikishi", or wrestlers, with the exception of the "tate" and "fuku-tate" ranks, which stand for chief and deputy chief, respectively. This system is identical to that applied for "gyoji". Prior to July 1993, "yobidashi" were simply ranked first-class, second-class, etc.

Promotion through these ranks is based primarily on experience, although ability is also taken into account, particularly in promotions to the top ranks.

Ring names

Yobidashi take a single name as their ring name, unlike both the wrestlers ("rikishi") and "gyoji" who have both a surname and given name. This may be related to the practice of the Edo Period in Japan whereby only samurai class persons could hold a surname. The wrestlers (involved in a martial activity) and "gyoji" (who were lettered) could be construed as having positions consistent with a samurai status, whilst the "yobidashi" did not.

As from July 1993 the upper ranked "yobidashi" also had their names included on the "banzuke", the ranking sheet produced prior to each "honbasho". Apart from a brief period previously, only the gyoji had traditionally been included on the "banzuke" in addition to the wrestlers and their training stablemasters, or "oyakata", again indicating the difference in status of the two jobs.