All-Japan beetles sumo contest

All-Japan beetles sumo contest

SAGA, Japan - As one young participant watches with all the intensity of a bull fighter, two beetles lock horns in the All-Japan Beetles Sumo Contest held in Taira, Saga Prefecture on July 22. About 200 children from Saga and elsewhere took part in the tournament, bringing with them the prized beetles they breed. Under the rules of the contest, the beetle loses when it is roughed up by the opponent or when it gets scared and beats the retreat after the initial stare-off, a ritual common in sumo wrestling. The title this year went to a beetle bred by a 10-year-old boy, Atsushi Matsusaki from Kumamoto Prefecture, who said he won the contest in his third entry. ''I think I won because I always let my beetles fight against each other,'' he says proudly.

STOP PRESS GIRL

STOP PRESS GIRL

STOP PRESS GIRL [BR 1949] JAMES ROBERTSON JUSTICE enjoys a ride on one of the only two 'beetles' in British studios - 1 1/2 hp electrical tractors for pushing studio equipment around the floor Date: 1949

All-Japan beetles sumo contest

All-Japan beetles sumo contest

SAGA, Japan - As one young participant watches with all the intensity of a bull fighter, two beetles lock horns in the All-Japan Beetles Sumo Contest held in Taira, Saga Prefecture on July 22. About 200 children from Saga and elsewhere took part in the tournament, bringing with them the prized beetles they breed. Under the rules of the contest, the beetle loses when it is roughed up by the opponent or when it gets scared and beats the retreat after the initial stare-off, a ritual common in sumo wrestling. The title this year went to a beetle bred by a 10-year-old boy, Atsushi Matsusaki from Kumamoto Prefecture, who said he won the contest in his third entry. ''I think I won because I always let my beetles fight against each other,'' he says proudly. (Kyodo)