![]() Just like the tokoyama, the yobidashi are an integral part of the world of professional sumo. All of it done, of course, without making any more noise than is necessary. The complete list of all the tasks of these omnipresent workers would be hard to draw up, so extensive is their domain. This rule is clear, above all for the rikishi who form sumo’s ‘shop window’ suffice it to say that, with some rare exceptions, they apply it quite well.īut the prize for discretion definitely goes to the men behind the scenes, who we always see in action but never really notice. They do their jobs, but they always have to take care not to draw attention to themselves, because the good of the community is what matters. Sumo isn't characterised by the exuberance of its personnel. ![]() These two documents are complementary, in the sense that each one contains original elements, so we strongly recommend that you read the lot! Omnipresent but discreet Some of the information presented in this article comes from our interview with yobidashi Kokichi. These true ‘jacks-of-all-trades’ are the yobidashi. They are everywhere, they do a wide variety of jobs and they are very important to the running of the bouts. Today we are planning to find out about some of the men that one sees at sumo bouts. We dedicated the first chapter of this series to the tokoyama, who act as hairdressers to the rikishi (See Le Monde du Sumo Issue 20, February 2007). It is these people, of whose existence everyone knows, but whom no-one really knows much about, that we have decided to spotlight in a series of articles focusing on each of these ‘sumo trades’. Finally there are those who one might describe as working ‘behind the scenes’: all of those who are never interviewed who never get talked about, but whose existence and whose contributions to sumo are critical for its smooth running. Further from the public eye, these executives sometimes make statements to the press and they don't miss an opportunity to fuel an ongoing scandal from time to time. Then there are the management staff those who ‘pull the strings’: the Japan Sumo Association (Nihon Sumo Kyokai). What makes sumo news is the wrestlers’ tournament results, their rankings and their injuries. They take centre stage and represent sumo's true image. Sumo, like many organisations, has its different categories of people. Proofread by Brian O’Flaherty Sumo's different jobs
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