Bo-Taoshi is a Crazy, Violent and Beautiful Japanese Game [Video]

Bo-Taoshi is a capture-the-flag type game played by cadets at the National Defense Academy of Japan. It works like this: there are 150 men playing. 75 men defend their pole while the other 75 charge at it like there’s no tomorrow.

I don’t really know what the rules are but it looks like face kicking and shirt ripping are perfectly acceptable.

Epic.

You look:

The Highlights:
The video begins with both sides doing silly stretches.

At around 1:10, cadets start climbing onto their pole with one guy perched firmly on top like a parrot. Don’t really understand why. Yet.

The men look ready and hold each others’ red belts in anticipation of what’s next. They’re yelling, “bring it on, bring it on!” or probably something to that effect.

And then craziness.

Blue guys out of nowhere charge at the pole. Blue seems to be using the heads of their opponents as stepping stones to get to that pole of destiny.

Now I see why the perched parrot is necessary. To step on the heads of blue team of course.

Man it’s getting violent. At 2:10, blue uses his forearm to push away white’s chin.

After that it’s all downhill.

So any thoughts why this game isn’t on ESPN?

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