Thursday, December 14, 2006
Tug of War
The tug-of-war dates back to 1600, when it served a dual purpose. Villagers from east and west did honorific battle for victory as a sign to shamans who predicted the future. The prayers were for a good rice harvest. The second motive was to instill peace and stability into the lives of seafarers of this island nation, and to ensure their safety. The Naha rope is constructed in two sections: the mizuna, or female, and uzuna, or male. Before the heaving begins, those two sections are brought together and connected with a pin called a kanuchi, representing the unification of East and West Naha. The tug-of-war rivets spectators during the hour-plus event, after which knives come out for everyone to cut ceremonial pieces of the rope to take home.
