The is a type of signal baton and

Japanese war fan The Japanese war fan, or ''tessen'' ( ja, 鉄扇,てっせん, tessen, translation="iron fan"), is a weaponized Japanese hand fan designed for use in warfare. Several types of war fans were used by the samurai class of feudal Japan and each had ...

. Once held by military leaders (such as

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

) and priests in the past, it is used in the modern day by

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

s in

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

wrestling.

Description

''Gunbai'', from the Sino-Japanese roots meaning "military-apportioned an, were a specialized form of fan used by

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

officers in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

to communicate commands to their troops. Unlike regular fans, ''gunbai'' were solid, not folding, and usually made of

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

, wood covered with metal, or solid metal. Gyoji with fan

It is also a key accessory of a ''

gyōji A ''gyōji'' () is a referee in professional sumo wrestling in Japan. ''Gyōji'' usually enter the sumo world as teenagers and remain employees of the Sumo Association until they retire aged 65. There are currently a little over 40 active ''gy� ...

'' (referee) in professional

. The main use is at the end of a bout, when the ''gyoji'' decides the victor and points the ''gunbai'' to either the east or west position (each wrestler is assigned to start from either the east or west position each tournament day). Reflecting this, the gyōji's decision itself is often informally referred to as a ''"gunbai"''. If this is called into question and the

judges A judge is an official who presides over a court. Judge or Judges may also refer to: Roles *Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc. *Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...

hold a consultation, a decision to uphold the gyōji's judgement is announced as ''gunbai-dōri'' (軍配通り), literally "according to the ''gunbai''", while a decision to overturn it is ''gunbai-sashichigae'' (軍配差し違え), literally "''gunbai'' mispointed." In modern times, all ''gyōji'' will take either the family name ''Kimura'' or ''Shikimori'' as their professional name, depending on the tradition of the stable that they join. There are exceptions to this naming convention, but they are rare. Additionally there are different styles to how a ''gyōji'' will hold his ''gunbai'' depending on which family he is in. The Kimura family hold their ''gunbai'' with their palm and figures faced up, while the Shikimori will hold theirs with their palm and figures faced down.

Family Crest (Mon)

The ''Gunbai-Uchiwa'', along with the ''Touchiwa'' (''Karauchiwa''), is also used as a ''Mon'' (family crest).

References

Japanese words and phrases Sumo terminology Military communication in feudal Japan Ventilation fans Exorcism in Shinto Shinto in Japan Wands Ritual weapons Honorary weapons Ceremonial weapons {{samurai-stub

Description

Family Crest (Mon)

See also

References