Tōgyū

It used to be a traditional annual or seasonal sport by the proud owners of the farming bulls, but it is now held as a spectator sport in various places, such as the prefectures of Iwate, Kagoshima (Amami Islands), Niigata, Okinawa and Shimane (Oki Islands).

The coaches take great care to prevent the bulls from harming each other and the fight is immediately over if one of them accidentally gores the other.

[2] Although the exact year in which tōgyū was started is not known, the second half of the Meiji period is when it began to get popular throughout Okinawa.

[3] In 1907, tōgyū became popular enough in the cities of Itoman, Gushikawa, Katsuren and Yonagusuku to start receiving coverage in local newspapers.

During the Shōwa period, prior to the outbreak of World War II, tōgyū reached new heights of popularity.