今年も棒倒しの季節がやってきました。
棒倒しは集団で行われる競技としては、日本で最も過酷なものの一つです。
今回の動画では予選2試合と決勝戦の模様だけでなく、試合前の各大隊の闘志あふれる士気上げの様子もご覧いただけます。
彼らの勇猛果敢な闘いをご覧ください。
”Bo-taoshi (pole toppling)”, one of the most dangerous sport in Japan.
The game, traditionally played by cadets at the National Defense Academy (NDA) of Japan on its anniversary, is famous for its size, wherein two teams, totaling 150 individuals, each vie for control of the opposition's pole. Each team is split into two groups of 75 attackers and 75 defenders. The defenders begin in a defensive orientation respective to their pole, while the attackers assume position some measure away from the other team's pole. When the defending team has their pole brought lower than 30° to the horizontal (beginning perpendicular, or 90°, to the horizontal), they lose. Until a rule change in 1973, the pole had only to be brought lower than 45° to the horizontal.