Naha Great Tug-of-War (Naha Otsunahiki)那覇大綱挽

A great tug-of-war that carries on the tradition of the Naha Yomachi-zuna of the Ryukyu Kingdom era: the female rope of the West and the male rope of the East are joined and pulled against each other on National Route 58.

Naha Otsunahiki is an Okinawan tradition inherited from the Naha Yomachi-zuna of the Ryukyu Kingdom. After the hatagashira procession (ufunna-sune-i), in which fourteen towering hatagashira banners parade along Kokusai-dori, the female rope (mi-nna) and male rope (u-nna) are joined with the kanuchi-bo pin at the Kumoji intersection of National Route 58, and West and East pull against each other. The wider Naha Otsunahiki Festival also includes an eve-of-festival parade and a citizens' festival.

According to the Naha Otsunahiki Preservation Society, the tradition is said to date from around 1450. The Naha Yomachi-zuna was pulled each year around the sixth month, but contests so heated that quarrels were constant led to the Naha Tsunahiki Kiboucho rulebook in 1812. After the Meiji era it was held several times as a celebratory tug-of-war, but it lapsed after 1935. In 1971, the year before Okinawa's reversion to Japan, the city revived it as a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Naha's municipal status, on October 10, the anniversary of the "10.10" air raid on Naha. In 1995 Guinness World Records recognised its rope as the world's largest made of straw.

Source: 一般社団法人 那覇大綱挽保存会(external site, opens in a new tab)

The joining of the female and male ropes signifies the union of yin and yang, and old records describe the tug-of-war as a prayer for the peace of the realm and safety at sea. Today participants pull for peace, the prosperity of the city, thriving business and harmony at home. The hatagashira banners, crafted by local artisans as symbols and guardians of their communities, are danced by young men for whom doing so well is counted a lifelong honour.

1. 01

   Hatagashira procession (ufunna-sune-i)

   Fourteen hatagashira, seven each for East and West, parade along Kokusai-dori.

2. 02

   Shitaku

   Before the pull, performers dressed as historical figures face off atop the rope.

3. 03

   Shogu uchikomi

   The West and East percussion leaders strike the shogu gong; the final stroke from the West starts the pull.

4. 04

   The great tug-of-war

   The female and male ropes are joined with the kanuchi-bo and West and East pull against each other.

The hatagashira are maintained by district committees and danced by young men in the black mumunuchi-hanta costume.

• Naha Great Tug-of-War (Naha Otsunahiki)28万人が引き合った！ ギネス認定の那覇大綱挽

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Spectators may join the pull. The preservation society warns that taking part or watching with small children, while pregnant or in high heels is dangerous and asks visitors to take care. The date may change in the event of a typhoon.

Traffic controls, seating and fees change every year. Always check the official website for the latest information.

Official website — naha-otsunahiki.org(external site, opens in a new tab)

• Do not bring knives or other blades
• Do not drink alcohol at the tug-of-war site
• Do not fly drones for photography
• Rest periodically, stay hydrated and guard against heatstroke

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• 

  The colossal straw rope of the Naha Great Tug-of-War laid along an avenue with a performer atop it

  Photographer

  Mitsuru Ogino

  Source

  Naha Matsuri Giant tug rope.jpg(external site, opens in a new tab)

  Licence

  CC BY-SA 3.0(external site, opens in a new tab)

• 

  An aerial view of crowds filling the avenue around the giant rope at the Naha Great Tug-of-War

  Photographer

  投稿者が作成

  Source

  Okimoto-naha-tsunahiki001.jpg(external site, opens in a new tab)

  Licence

  Public domain

• 

  Performers in Ryukyu royal and warrior costumes stand on a stage above the tug-of-war crowd

  Photographer

  Docrings

  Source

  Naha tug o war Ryuku Royalty.JPG(external site, opens in a new tab)

  Licence

  Public domain

• 

  The looped end of the giant straw rope resting on a wheeled stand in the street

  Photographer

  This image was released by the United States Marine Corps with the ID 101010-M-4065W-001 (next). This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing. العربية ∙ বাংলা ∙ Bahasa Indonesia ∙ Bahaso Jambi ∙ Deutsch ∙ Deutsch (Sie-Form) ∙ English ∙ español ∙ euskara ∙ فارسی ∙ français ∙ italiano ∙ 日本語 ∙ 한국어 ∙ македонски ∙ മലയാളം ∙ Plattdüütsch ∙ Nederlands ∙ polski ∙ پښتو ∙ português ∙ русский ∙ slovenščina ∙ svenska ∙ Türkçe ∙ українська ∙ 简体中文 ∙ 繁體中文 ∙ +/−

  Source

  USMC-101010-M-4065W-001.jpg(external site, opens in a new tab)

  Licence

  Public domain