More than 100 babies have faced off in the sumo ring in an annual crying contest - a Japanese tradition believed to bring the children good health.
A baby held by a student sumo wrestler cries during a competition at Sensoji Temple in Tokyo on Saturday. Photo: AFP
The ceremony dates back some 400 years and is held at shrines nationwide.
In one event, in Tokyo's historic Asakusa district, 120 toddlers were brought into the ring two at a time, where real sumo wrestlers held them and shook them gently as a referee shouted, "Cry! Cry!"
The winner was judged to be the baby who cried the quickest and loudest.
Some screamed with little prompting, but others required judges to enter the ring wearing a devil mask.
- ABC
A competition last month at Yukigaya Hachiman Shrine in Tokyo. Photo: AFP
A referee encourages a baby to cry using a devil mask during last year's competition in Tokyo. Photo: AFP
