Thegunbai (軍配, short for軍配団扇gunbai-uchiwa) is a type ofsignal baton andJapanese war fan. Once held by military leaders (such asdaimyō) and priests in the past, it is used in the modern day byumpires insumo wrestling.[1]
Gunbai, from theSino-Japanese roots meaning "military-apportioned [fan]", were a specialized form of fan used bysamurai officers inJapan to communicate commands to their troops. Unlike regular fans,gunbai were solid, not folding, and usually made ofwood, wood covered with metal, or solid metal.
It is also a key accessory of agyōji (referee) in professionalsumo. The main use is at the end of a bout, when thegyoji decides the victor and points thegunbai 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 thejudges hold a consultation, a decision to uphold the gyōji's judgement is announced asgunbai-dōri (軍配通り), literally "according to thegunbai", while a decision to overturn it isgunbai-sashichigae (軍配差し違え), literally "gunbai mispointed". In modern times, allgyōji will take either the family nameKimura orShikimori 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 agyōji will hold hisgunbai depending on which family he is in. The Kimura family hold theirgunbai with their palm and fingers faced up, while the Shikimori will hold theirs with their palm and fingers faced down.[2]
TheGunbai-Uchiwa, along with theTouchiwa (Karauchiwa), is also used as aMon (family crest).
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