Judge (sumo)

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Judges holding a Template:Translit during the 2006 March tournament.

In sumo wrestling, a is a ringside judge seated around the Template:Translit (sumo ring) to observe the match, identifying which wrestler wins the matchup and supervising the work of the in ring referee (called Template:Translit), to ensure that no refereeing errors are made.

Historically, the role of judge developed in the 18th century to facilitate arbitral decisions, which were subject to external pressures, before establishing itself as the ultimate decision-making authority at the end of the 19th century.In professional sumo, all judges are former wrestlers who have acquired the status of Template:Translit (sumo elder) and have been assigned to the corresponding department within the Japan Sumo Association. During sumo tournaments (called Template:Translit), five judges sit around the Template:Translit, with additional elders serving as video review officials in another room. The judges command an aura of respect, reinforced by their formal, sober attire and the weight of their decisions.

The judges' main role is to ensure that all preparations for the matches are completed properly and on time, before assisting both the referee in the ring in deciding the outcome of a match and the referees on announcing duty in recording the winning techniques. If the outcome of a match is disputed, it is up to the judges to call a Template:Translit to discuss the referee's decision, assisted by video refereeing.

However, the role of referees is not limited to matches. Behind the scenes, they are also responsible for establishing the Template:Translit, the ranking system that serves as the cornerstone of professional sumo. When wrestlers are eligible for promotion to the two highest ranks in the hierarchy (Template:Translit and Template:Translit), it is also their responsibility to ask the Sumo Association's board of directors to promote those selected, with their opinion serving as the basis for the promotion process and their recommendations never being ignored. Judges also serve as guardians of the etiquette associated with professional sumo, and it is their responsibility to enforce the rules and reprimand wrestlers and masters who violate them. Finally, they are responsible for organizing the matches, a role they perform every day of a tournament.

History

The elders' judging function developed around 1750, with the emergence of interests linked to the prestige of local lords. The fairness of the decisions handed down by the Template:Translit was increasingly called into question, because lords sponsored wrestlers. This led to the questioning of the Template:Translit's absolute authority over match results and the introduction of a system of judges, all elders, then called but more commonly known as . This name was derived from their positions during matches, right at the base of the poles holding up the roof of the ring. Initially, the judges sat at the foot of the ring, but from around 1780 onwards, they took their places directly on the fighting platform. Three judges were led by a head judge, who had total authority and whose personal decision could not be questioned.

With Takasago Uragorō's return to the Tokyo Sumo Association, a series of reforms were implemented to satisfy his demands. One of these was to transfer the final say in the judgment of a disputed match from the referees (Template:Translit) to the judges. The judges took on the official name of . The office of judge evolved in the mid-20th century, with the removal of the powers of the head judge in 1958, considered too powerful and autocratic. With a final reform taking place in 1968, judges finally adopted the name Template:Translit (or Template:Translit). The system for electing judges that had been in place until then was also abolished in favor of the system that remains in place today. The idea of bringing in judges who were not Template:Translit but former wrestlers who showed little promise, retired and trained by their peers to become judges following the Template:Translit system, was considered but not implemented.

Status and seating

All judges are former wrestlers who have attained the status of Template:Translit and have been assigned to the dedicated department of the Japan Sumo Association. Like all departments, the Judging Department is headed by a director assisted by a deputy. Starting with the 2020 March tournament, two Template:Translit, with the status of director and deputy, were also attached to the department to focus solely on match scheduling and Template:Translit decisions. They will generally not serve as judge during matches, but will act as substitutes if the heads of the departments are unable to perform their role. The appointed Template:Translit serve in the department for a one-year term, and their supervisors serve for a two-year term.

The number of judges is set between twenty and twenty-three, and places are distributed equitably among the various Template:Translit, or clans, within the association. Around the ring, the five judges all belong to a different clan. Initially, this difference between clans explained why judges interacted little with each other after matches, simply going home immediately after finishing their duties. Today, however, it is accepted that judges from the same team chat amiably and go out together to forge bonds.

During an official match, the judges are distributed around the four sides of the ring (east, south, west and north). The chief judge, called the Template:Translit, is always seated on the north side (on the place of honor known as the Template:Translit). The other judges share the other three corners of the ring, with two judges sitting together on the southern edge bordering the Template:Translit (referred to as Template:Translit), flanking the Template:Translit who awaits his turn to officiate at the foot of the Template:Translit.

Within the JSA, judges are held in high regard, being nicknammed the of sumo, because their role allows them to be the only Template:Translit visible to the general public, appearing on television and at ringside during tournaments. Their status considered prestigious within the various departments of the Sumo Association and the judges themselves regarded as fair and honorable men. All Template:Translit are recognizable by their sober and formal attire, called montsuki. The JSA itself requires its judges to wear these formal outfits, strictly prohibiting activities around the ring in simple Template:Translit or business suits in order to protect the traditional appearance of sumo tournaments. Judges wear black Template:Translit (loose jackets) and gray silk shirts, setting them apart from the flamboyant robes of the Template:Translit, and often causing them to be nicknamed "the Men in black". A notable exception to this rule was when the association celebrated its centenary, with judges dressed in court ritual attire inspired by the Heian period.

Far from complying with ethical rules designed to avoid conflict of interest, it is not frowned upon for a judge to be involved in the matches of his own students. On the contrary, sports commentators are relatively fond of such situations, trying to guess whether the teacher was frustrated or happy with the outcome of a match involving a student.

Duties

Template:Translit

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Judges (in suits and seated) are also present at amateur tournaments.

In the event of a disputed result, it is the Template:Translit who can challenge the Template:Translit's decision by calling in a . When doing so, they correspond through an earpiece to a video review room, managed by either a single judge (for lower division matches) or two (for matches involving Template:Translit). Judges have been using replays since the 1969 May tournament. That standard was set after Template:Translit Taihō was wrongly declared the loser in his match against Toda during the 1969 March tournament, ending his streak of consecutive victories. Denounced by the press with photographic evidence, the controversy, dubbed the "miscall of the century", prompted the Japan Sumo Association to make video refereeing standard practice. The introduction of video refereeing was a pioneering move in Japanese sports, contrasting with the very traditional nature and setting of sumo.

Judges can confirm the decision of the Template:Translit by announcing , overturn it by announcing , or order a . The decision supported by the judges is subject to a majority vote by the members present before being announced to the public. The chief judge then acts as spokeman. Unlike Template:Translit, whose careers are affected if they make too many bad judgments, judges are not affected if they make a bad decision after a controversial match. In the rare case of a judging error, a rematch (Template:Translit) can be called. In a top division match between Kotozakura and Atamifuji at the 2025 January tournament, judge Asahiyama (former Template:Translit Kotonishiki) raised his hand to stop the contest believing that Kotozakura's foot stepped out of the Template:Translit. Video replays confirmed that the foot did not touch the ground outside of the straw bales at the time the hand was raised, and the judges decided to order a rematch.

The accuracy of the judges' decision after a Template:Translit on the spot is never questioned. Its legitimacy is partly based on the fact that, with all sides of the ring covered by the judges, they have a better view of what is happening in the ring than the referee, who will always have a blind spot.

In amateur sumo, the use of video refereeing has also become more widespread since the 2020s, following a series of controversial decisions at the highest level of national competition, with the use of tablet computers.

Around and during the matches

The judges are divided into seven teams that take turns throughout the day, with two teams dedicated solely to the Template:Translit division, switching places when half of the matches of that division have been completed. Within the teams, Template:Translit matches will always be presided over by a chief judge who will be either the department director or his deputy.

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One of the judges seated behind the Template:Translit is responsible for keeping track of time.

One judge serves as timekeeper, sitting under the black tassel. He is responsible for keeping the pre-bout rituals on schedule, discreetly announcing to the Template:Translit. The referee gives instructions to speed up or slow down the wrestlers' preparations in the ring via the Template:Translit.

At the moment the fight is about to begin, it is up to the judges to stop the fight if they find that the wrestlers were incorrectly positioned. More specifically, the judges are responsible for ensuring that the wrestlers' fists touch the ground at the start of the match. During the match, the judges pay particular attention to the feet (which must always remain within the circle of the ring) and the hands (which must not grab the opponent's hair). If a match exceeds four minutes, it is up to the timekeeper to signal the referee to call a water break.

In the event of a Template:Translit (winning move) that is difficult to decide for the Template:Translit tasked to announcing it to the public, it is up to the judges in the video review room to provide counselling. Top division Ura was known to be a nightmare wrestler for the judges responsible for defining Template:Translit, as he was known for winning with rare techniques.

Like wrestlers, who must not show emotion, judges must also maintain a neutral expression while officiating. However, it is not uncommon to see judges smile or laugh openly when young teenage professionals struggle to perform their tasks melodiously as they go through voice change. The proximity to the ring and the fights is not without risk, and judges may be knocked over by wrestlers who fall off the Template:Translit. More anecdotally, it is even less rare for judges to have their feet stepped on or their trouser torn by wrestlers making their way to the ring.

Template:Translit and promotions

The judges are involved in establishing the rankings of the wrestlers, known as the Template:Translit. To do this, they meet on the wednesday immediately following the end of a tournament. It is widely accepted that the personalities of judges play a major role in the promotions and demotions of wrestlers. In addition, power struggles and influence within the department may also play a role in the final decisions.

Deliberations and ranks are decided in secret, the only exceptions being promotions to the ranks of Template:Translit, Template:Translit, or Template:Translit, which are the only ones announced on the day of the meeting so that the wrestlers concerned have time to prepare for their new rank.

The Template:Translit are also involved in the meeting as they act as clerks during the debates. During the meeting, the Template:Translit serve only as observers and are not invited to speak. Three Template:Translit are responsible for recording decisions on promotions and demotions, and their work is then used as the basis for the calligraphy known to the public.

If a promising wrestler meets the conditions (more or less or completely) that would allow him to be promoted to Template:Translit, it is up to the Judging Department to vote internally by majority to decide whether the wrestler deserves promotion. If they agree on the promotion, the judges send a request to the JSA board of directors for an extraordinary meeting to discuss the decision of the promotion. In the event of promotion to the rank of Template:Translit, the board of directors considers the request of the judges and forwards it to the Yokozuna Deliberation Council. In both cases, it is then traditional for a director and a member of the Judging Department to then visit the newly promoted wrestler's stable to announce the news, which takes place as part of a formal traditional ceremony.

The quality of the techniques used in the ring is recognized as an important criterion in the eyes of the Judging Department. It is customary for the board of directors to follow the recommendations of the judges.

Organizing matches and monitor practices

The matches are decided by judges during planning meetings, deciding which combinations of wrestlers will compete against each other. As with the deliberations of the Template:Translit, the Template:Translit are also involved in the meeting as they act as clerks during the debates. The matches for the first two days are decided two days before the start of the tournament. From the third day onwards, the matches are decided the morning of the day before, meaning that the next day's matches are decided before the results of the same-day matches are known. The fourteenth and fifteenth days are exempt from this practice, and their matches are decided in the evening, after all matches have been completed. During decision-making meetings, matches are recorded on a very long scroll bearing the kanji for to symbolize that the organization is free from malice or error. All wrestlers are ranked in Template:Translit order on the scroll. Above their Template:Translit are listed the wrestlers they have defeated, and below are the wrestlers who have defeated them. The judges plan the matches by placing Go stones on the ring names.

All members of the Judging Department play a role in predicting matches, but other Template:Translit may be involved without having the authority to sit ringside to judge matches.

Judges are responsible for issuing rules of etiquette to wrestlers in order to regulate behavior and preserve the dignity surrounding professional sumo. To this end, the judges intervenes, albeit rarely, at meetings of the , the pseudo syndicate grouping together Template:Translit-ranked wrestlers. Judges may also reinforce their instructions by issuing warnings to the coaches of wrestlers who break the rules. Recent examples of rules enacted by the Judging Department includes prohibiting a wrestler suffering from a concussion from continuing a match, even if the outcome of the match is being contested.

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• Template:Translit
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