3,000 people compete in traditional tug-of-war festival

Some 3,000 people have lined up against each other in a traditional tug-of-war festival in southwestern Japan.

A national highway was closed to traffic for Tuesday's event in Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture.

A 365-meter rope with a diameter of 35 centimeters and weighing 7 tons was placed along Route 3 that runs through the central part of the city.

The participants were split up into two teams, one red and one white, and began pulling against each other at the sound of drums shortly after 8 p.m.

Aside from the people pulling the rope, each team also has "pushers" that try to get in the way of the pullers. The greater part of the 90-minute contest is actually between the pushers.

In the end, the white team managed to pull the rope into its territory and won the match.

The festival dates back more than 400 years. A Satsuma province warlord, Shimazu Yoshihiro, is said to have started the great tug-of-war competition to boost morale during the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, one of the most decisive battles in Japan's history.

The event was designated by the government as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2024.

The head of the event's organizing committee, Tanaka Takuya, said he wants to hand over the tradition to the next generation so that the festival can continue for another 500 years, or even 1,000.