Togyu

I have not blogged for a few weeks as Corey is away and I have felt uninspired to post anything... But today I went to an event that I figured needed some recognition: Okinawa bull fighting, also known as "Togyu." I wasn't sure what to expect, if it was humane or cruel… and I'm still not sure what to think. The bulls are all raised in Okinawa, and when we arrived we were given a flyer with their names and weights posted (although all in Kanji, so I couldn't tell you what the bull's names are). The tournament started out with one bull entering the ring, being led by its trainer by a lead hitched through the bull's nose. The bull immediately began to paw at and rub his head in the dirt of the ring. The trainer just stood there, seemingly calm and unthreatened by the beast. The second bull and trainer entered the ring, along with five or six other men (owners/more trainers?) and the bulls were set to face each other. The first match was actually very boring,  as they locked horns for about 10 seconds and then just stood there staring at each other, seeming bored or uninterested. The trainers yelled "iya!" and stomped to try and rial the bulls, but with little success. The next round was a little more exciting, except one of the bulls horns broke when they butted heads, and was bleeding. The third was pretty much the same and by that time we as spectators were getting bored! haha. We watched for about 45 minutes;  I don't think I would go back to watch again -_-

 waiting for the first match to begin

 This bull liked to rub in the dirt

 This guy was a bull power ranger? …..

 The winner of each match was adorned with a blanket and ribbons

 this guy played the drum and gong