Yobidashi

A yobidashi (呼出 or 呼び出し), often translated in English as "usher", "ring attendant", or "ring announcer", is an employee of the Japan Sumo Association, responsible for various tasks essential to the traditional running of professional sumo tournaments in Japan. The are involved in building the  (wrestling ring) or calling wrestlers  to the ring when it is their turn to fight. They are also entrusted with other roles, both administrative and artistic, in the service of the stable to which they are attached.

Established during the Heian period, the role of was not codified until the Tenmei era. Nicknamed "sumo's workhorses" by former Takamiyama, the  are required to wear traditional clothing in public and are subject to a strict hierarchy in their organisation.

History
The status of did not appear until 1750. Before the appearance of this term to specifically designate the staff responsible for announcing the wrestlers, several different terms were used over time to designate the. During the Heian period, there was a role known as fushō (奏上), who was responsible for presenting the wrestlers to the emperor and the nobility who attended the matches. During the Edo period, the role became more codified, the staff responsible for calling the wrestlers inherited the name maegyōji (前行司), meaning 'preceding referees'. Later came the terms fure (触れ) and nanori (名乗り), both of which also mean 'to announce something', to refer more specifically to the personnel announcing the wrestlers. Since in earlier times the would sit down on their heels in the middle of the ring when the wrestlers arrived and call them by name, they inherited another name:, meaning 'squatting referees'.

Career and ranking
The maximum number of allowed in the Sumo Association is 45. As of April 2023, there are 45 within the Sumo Association.

are employees of the Japan Sumo Association, but like the wrestlers, they are affiliated with the stables. Like, new recruits can only begin their career under the age of 19 and must have completed compulsory education. Most enter at 15, and it is not uncommon for most to be wrestlers who have not managed to break through but are keen to stay in professional sumo. They then work up a career ladder roughly based on the ranking system for wrestlers 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)
 * san'yaku-yobidashi (三役呼出)
 * makuuchi-yobidashi (幕内呼出)
 * jūryō-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)

Promotion through these ranks is based primarily on experience, although ability is also taken into account, particularly in promotions to the top ranks. Junior however undergo six months of theoretical training in one of the Kokugikan's training rooms under the tutelage of their seniors. It takes around 15 years for a to be promoted from the bottom of the hierarchy to the rank of. The are promoted only after 30 years of service. are not generally promoted until they have 45 to 50 years of experience. Most of these ranks clearly follow those for the ranking of, or wrestlers, with the exception of the and  ranks, which stand for chief and deputy chief, respectively. This system is identical to that applied for. Prior to July 1993, were simply ranked first-class, second-class and so on.

While a earns between 360,000 and 400,000 yen ($2,513, or €2,313 as of November 2023), the average Japanese salary for a salaryman, a young apprentice earns just 14,000 yen ($97, or €89 in November 2023) a month. In the past, lived on tips alone. In the same way that low-ranking wrestlers are deprived of certain freedoms, junior are also forbidden to live anywhere other than in their stable and are not allowed to marry while -ranked  are allowed these liberties and have a  assigned to them. The tasks that are undue to a depend on his rank, although all  are versatile, with the highest ranks appearing at the end of the day and performing tasks that put them in the public eye.

Since October 2019 the position has been vacant after the incumbent, Takuro, from Kasugano stable, was suspended for two tournaments and announced his retirement for hitting a junior  over the head after he caught him eating in the customer seating area on. In September 2023, however, it was announced that Jirō (also from Kasugano stable), would be promoted by two ranks to become from December 25 of the same year, when the banzuke for the January 2024 tournament will be released. On the same date, the role–vacant since November 2015–will be taken up by Katsuyuki from Shibatayama stable.

Responsibilities
During the tournament, are by far the busiest workers, staying for the whole of the fighting days, staying on site from 7:30am to 6pm. These tasks begin before the official opening of the tournaments with the construction of the  (sumo ring).

Building the ring
Construction begins five days before the first day of the tournament. 40 tonnes of a special clay, called Arakida, collected in the town of Kawagoe (Saitama Prefecture) are needed for its construction and the use small trucks to transport the materials. As well as building the ring, the are also responsible for the facing of the  (the suspended roof above the ). Supervision of the construction does not necessarily fall to the. Depending on their skills, a may also supervise the construction of the ring. During (tours), not all  are present, and it is not uncommon for local volunteers to help with  construction.

Calling the wrestlers
The 's most emblematic task is to call the wrestlers into the ring for their match of the day. Dressed traditionally and holding a simple white fan, they call the wrestlers by their, or ring-name, in a high-pitched and melodious way. The use of a fan was originally intended to prevent droplets of saliva from soiling the sacred surface of the. Because of the large number of wrestlers in the divisions, the who enter the ring are notoriously using cheat sheets so as not to make any mistakes in public. On even-numbered days, the call is made from the east, then the west, and on odd-numbered days the call is made in the other way round.

Other tasks
Another recognisable task of the is parading the  (advertising) banners around the ring before particular match-ups between popular wrestlers, which are often sponsored by companies. The are responsible for banging the  drum at different times of the day. Originally, these different times were used to convey different messages to spectators outside the arena. The first drum sound is the ichiban-daiko (一番太鼓), played during the 15 days of the tournaments, for 30 minutes from 8am to announce the opening of a day of matches. At the end of the day, immediately after the (bow-twirling) ceremony, the hane-daiko (跳ね太鼓) is played to invite spectators leaving the arena to disperse. Before the Second World War, the took part in the tours separately and by  (clan), therefore the method used to beat the drum was different and these variations are traditionally preserved today, even if all  now take part in the tours equally. High-ranking finally accompany -ranked wrestlers in their  ring-entering ceremonies by sounding their, an instrument consisting of two pieces of cherry wood tied together with a cord.

Other tasks on match days include: sweeping the ring, providing purification salt, handing towels to wrestlers, displaying banners showing that a match has been decided by default (usually due to a competitor's withdrawal), or subject to a rematch after the next two bouts, and ensuring that, during a bout, no wrestler injures himself on the bucket of (power water) situated at each east and west side of the ring. The are also responsible for bringing the thick cushions of the -ranked wrestlers to the ring, which are handed to them by the  (assistant) who come out of the changing rooms. Junior also help senior  during the  ceremony. Less publicly, also take care of many small requests made by the Sumo Association executives on judging duty or guard duty in the corridors, such as fetching drinks or cigarettes.

Nevertheless, the responsibility for is not simply confined to tournament days. As, like wrestlers, belong to the stables, they are also entrusted with tasks by their stablemasters, such as running errands or keeping track of wrestlers' progress during training sessions. When a stable goes on tour in the odd-numbered months, the are also responsible for making the necessary arrangements to reserve accommodation for the masters and wrestlers. When a stable's (training area) needs rebuilding,  from the same, to which the stable belongs, take charge of the construction.

It is also traditional for to write folk songs, called, based on sumo life.

Ring names
take a single name as their ring name, unlike both the wrestlers and  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 (who were lettered) could be construed as having positions consistent with a samurai status, while the  did not. As in most traditional Japanese activities, the professional name of the is sometimes derived from the name of the master who taught them, borrowing a kanji from the master's name.

As from July 1993 the upper ranked also have their names automatically included on the, the ranking sheet produced prior to each. With the exception of a period around the Kansei era to Bunsei era, only the had traditionally been included on the  alongside the wrestlers and their training masters, or.

Uniform
The outfit worn by the is loosely based on an old style Japanese workman's outfit, with tatsuke-bakama (裁着袴), working trousers, and  socks. The kimono worn by the often displays sponsors' names in black characters and logo. As there are currently eight main sponsors of the Sumo Association, each has eight different kimono which he wears during all 15 days of each basho. The costume is the same for senior and junior ranked and only the kimono worn on the torso varies in color and the names on the back. Since the kimono display the logos and names of the sponsors, it is often offered by them and the rarely choose the colors of their kimono. Their colors and designs, on the other hand, are often decided within an, but it can also be presented by  who have been promoted to  or  as a commemorative gift and the , or ring name, of the said wrestler can be seen at top of the back of the , in place of the name of the stable to which the  belongs, which is normally found there.