Ushioorashe: Okinawan Bullfighting

Yesterday we went on our very first guided tour. I fully recommend touring this way. It was wonderful to have someone else doing the driving and parking. Since the girls have never been bused to school, riding a bus was a highly anticipated novelty and only added to the fun. We boarded a plushy touring bus at Camp Foster and proceeded north to Ishikawa City for a bullfight. Our trusty traveling companions, the Coles, joined us and it made for a lovely day. I have decided to tell you about the trip in this blog entry and then do a different entry with all the pictures. Those of you that like to hear me blab, can read this. Those of you that prefer an illustrated version of the story can reference the next entry. This way, I can accommodate both types of hemispheric dominance..ha, ha, ha!!!

Bullfighting is an Okinawan tradition that predates written history. It has been around a long time! The fights take place about 2-3 times a month around the island. This particular weekend was a festival, so the admission to the event was free and it was packed. Most of the arenas are outside, but our luck held and this event was at a fully covered venue. The pasty Norwegian in me rejoiced. In addition, it was a windy day and the breeze wafting through the open sides kept the temperature relatively comfortable (We are still in the lower 80's for a high and low 70's for a low. Tuesday we are supposed to hit 68 as a low...sweet, winter weather is starting.) The only real pain in the butt, literally, were the concrete stadium steps that were our seats for 5 hours. Those stadium chairs that you take to football games would have been a wise choice here. This is a proper sporting event after all!

Okinawan bullfighting, like most Japanese things, is logical. It is not man against bull, it is bull against bull. Duh...bullfighting. It takes place in a sunken dirt ring that is approximately 59 feet in diameter and is surrounded by a 3-4 foot three-rung fence. Raise your hand if you think this will keep a determined bull from jumping out.....yeah...I had severe doubts too. The great thing about going on a tour is that the guide gives you a bunch of background information and tips. The best advice we got was that you want to choose your seats wisely. The front rows, much like Sea World, are only for the die-hards. There is a high probability you will be covered in dirt, sweat, and poo if you choose to be up close. On rare occasions you may end up with a bit of bovine blood on your clothes and, once in a blue moon, a one ton animal in your lap. Even though they are no Chihuahua, the bulls are trained for this sport and seem to "understand" the rules. It is a gentleman's sport closely resembling sumo wrestling. The bulls are led one at a time into the ring by their "Seko", trainer. The bulls know they are hot stuff and usually bellow, snort and paw the ground ominously. Once both bulls are in the ring they turn and meet head to head. The Seko don't touch their animal (they may put a hand on the animal to prevent being run over, but there is no beating), and use enthusiastic verbal encouragement to motivate their competitor. They are so enthusiastic that they are often tapped and replaced by back-up Seko during a longer match. The match is decided when one bull chooses to stop fighting, disengages by turning its back to its opponent and runs away. The Seko immediately begin petting their animals to calm them down and secure them with ropes to lead them out of the ring. I was amazed at how the bulls just seem to know when the fight is over. They go from intense to peaceful in a split second, making an exit with their trainer that looks like a person walking their dog in the park. The victorious bull gets decorated and even tolerates small children riding on its back around the ring. We were surprised at how little separation there is between the crowd and the animals. When the last match was over (there were 13 match-ups), the winning bull was still in the ring and everyone flooded the ring. People entered and exited through the same tunnel as the bulls. The bulls were led with nothing more than a rope through their nose from the stables to the ring. There are no fences and gated channels, like there are at rodeos. The bulls just amble through the crowds with their Seko.

Even though I am sure PETA will never endorse it, Ushioorashe is an equitable and structured sport. The bulls are revered and treated like royalty. I wouldn't be surprised if they had collectible cards ("Check it out Kim-san, I got Hyakujuu-ou's rookie card!!! His name means King of the Jungle.") The bovines are typically named for their body color, horns, fighting technique (yes, there are bull "moves"), or to reflect their owner's hobbies and interests. They are matched up by their weight and ranking (how experienced they are and how good their "bull moves" are). The matches start with the rookies and end with the superstars. Some of the fights were quick, lasting only seconds, and some were marathons (one lasted 20 minutes!!). We even saw a few of the fights decided by default, where one of the bulls refused to engage and headed for the exit. I can just hear his thinking: "Hey, Seko-san...did you check out the horns on that guy. Forget this! Stick that rope in my nose and let's hit the showers.") The best part for me was watching the normally reserved Japanese let their hair down. They were jovial and warm. Even though they are always polite and friendly, there is usually a distinct barrier...you have no doubt you are an outsider. Here, I almost felt like I could give one of them a high-five and it would be okay.