Gunbai

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A statue of Takeda Shingen holding a gunbai
A statue of Takeda Shingen holding a gunbai

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The gunbai (軍配, short for 軍配団扇 gunbai uchiwa) is a type of Japanese war fan which is solid, not folding, and usually made of wood. Gunbai were used by samurai officers in Japan to communicate commands to their troops.

It is also a key accessory of a gyoji in professional sumo. One use is at the end of a bout, when the gyoji points the gunbai at the wrestler he judges to be the victor. Reflecting this, the gyoji's decision itself is often informally referred to as a "gunbai". If this is called into question and the shimpan (umpires) hold a consultation, a decision to uphold the gyoji's judgement is announced as gunbai-dori (軍配通り), literally "according to the gunbai", while a decision to overturn it is "gyoji gunbai sashichigai".

A sumo gyoji wielding a gunbai
A sumo gyoji wielding a gunbai

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