1857 - 2007
(from Newsnotes Vol. 20-No.43 October 26, 2006)
"GREAT NAHA TUG-OF-WAR"
A number of communities here on Okinawa have an ancient tradition of holding a massive tug-of-war as part of their harvest celebrations each year, but Naha's is by far the largest. The rope, made from rice-straw each year, weighs 54.5 TONS. It's 823 feet long and more than 3 feet thick, with smaller ropes branching out on both sides for the tuggers to take hold of. The Guinness Record Book gives it the title of the world's largest rope, although a community in Korea is trying to break
that record.BROTHERS MAXIM and JOHNSON from India, myself, and other students and teachers from the Language School made our way by monorail on Oct. 8 to the down-town street where the giant rope had been set up. Uniformed bands from the different neighborhoods marched in carrying their giant banners. There were dances, songs, dragons, fireworks and speeches, and then about 15,000 of us split into east and west teams and grabbed hold of the 6-inch thick ropes branching out from the giant main rope. A dozen uniformed leaders stood on top of the rope at intervals on each side, to try to signal everyone to pull together at the right moments. At last the starting signal was given, all the bands started beating their drums and everyone started hauling away. Despite our best efforts "our" side was declared the loser after about 12 minutes of strenuous tugging. (If neither side moves the rope far enough in an hour, a draw is declared.) As soon as the winner was declared the knives came out- to cut off sections of the rope to take home for good luck. Some folks took away little snippets, others took yards-long coils.
It was certainly a fascinating experience to be immersed in a 7,000 person team and all try to pull at the same moment. If all pull together, you win. If everyone pulls on their own, you lose. I suppose there are all sorts of lessons to be learned there.
---PAT SULLIVAN
