Tsunahiki Matsuri

Tsunahiki Matsuri

JuneThe tug-of-war is a traditional way to pray for a plentiful harvest throughout Japan and it is a popular event around the country. Several annual tugs-of-war take place in Okinawa Prefecture, and the one in Yonabaru, which is said to be about 400 years old, is one of the more famous. Thousands of people take part, dividing themselves into the East and West teams. Each team parades half of the rope, which can be three to five feet thick, to the beach, where they are connected by wooden poles, and then tugged on furiously by both sides until a winner is proclaimed.
See also Underwater Tug-of-War Festival
CONTACTS:
Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau
1831-1 Oroku
Naha, Okinawa 901-0152 Japan
81-9-8898-3000; fax: 81-9-8898-2202
www.ocvb.or.jp/index.php
SOURCES:
CustCultOkinawa-1959, p. 113