[Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture] First venue held on May 3rd (Holiday)! National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property “Cow’s Horn Thrust” Ojiya City Press release: April 30, 2025 [Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture] First venue held on 5/3 (Holiday)! National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property “Ushi no Tsuki” We will be holding the first performance of Ojiya’s traditional custom “Ushi no Kakuzutsu”, which has been designated as a national important intangible folk cultural property. Check out the thrilling “Cow Horn Attack” in which cows weighing 1 ton compete in a heated battle.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/147972/22/147972-22-fd3046ca1cfae2d90cf170537de01e59-3900×2600.jpg Cow horn-butting (photographed in May 2020)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve9GY5tD-mY From the official YouTube channel of Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture Highlights of beef horn thrusting 1｜The only one in Japan! A powerful battle between cows and humans, where the principle is “draw” with no winners or loses The most distinctive feature of bullfighting in the Echigo region, which includes Ojiya, is that it is the only bullfighting event in Japan that is based on a “draw” instead of a winner or loser. One of the highlights is the virtuosity and bravery of the Sekos as they hold back the excited and violent bulls in order to break the match to a draw, as the Sekos’ shouts of “Yoshita” (*) and the dull thuds of the bulls’ horns colliding echo through the air. *Seko is a person whose role is to support cow owners and cows. Today, it is still carried out by young people from the same village or blood relatives as the cow owners. 2｜Traditional customs that bring together cows, cowherds, and the region, designated as national intangible cultural assets Cow horn-butting is a custom that began in Nijumurago, which straddles Higashiyama in Ojiya City, Yamakoshi in Nagaoka City, and Hirojin in Uonuma City. In addition to the custom of raising cows like family members, rejoicing in their growth, and enjoying their skills, the bull-horn-butting in this region also serves as a Shinto ritual to pray for success in harvesting, to pray for safety, and to express gratitude to the gods. The traditional customs that have been passed down in this region for about 1,000 years, and which bring together cows, cattle herders, and the community, were designated as a national intangible folk cultural property in 1978. 3｜A total of 36 animals will hold 18 activities for the first time The Ushi no Kaku Tsuki Ojiya location starts from the first location in May and will be held once a month until November, seven times a year. This year’s inaugural event will feature 18 efforts by a total of 36 cows. In addition, in conjunction with the opening of the event, we will be opening to the public the 33 Kannon and 2 other statues made by Mokugu Shonin, a tangible cultural property designated by the prefecture, located at Mokugui Kannon-do Hall (Oguriyama, Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture), which is located near the bullring.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/147972/22/147972-22-d21c433247e374e590e5e4b8e950852f-3900×2600.jpg Seko separating the cows (photographed in May 2020)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/147972/22/147972-22-0ad84687d057e5dfd322c3a08908af2c-3900×2600.jpg Venue view from the audience seats (photographed in November 2020) About the bull’s horn First location of cow horn thrusting overview Event date and time: May 3rd (Saturday/Holiday) from noon *Rain or shine Venue｜Ojiya Bullring (2453 Oguriyama, Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture) Admission fee: 2,000 yen (free for junior high school students and under, admission tickets only sold on the day) Access｜ □25 minutes by car from Ojiya IC (300 free parking spaces) □Shuttle bus available (500 yen one way) (Departure) 11:20 Aeon Ojiya Store ⇒ 11:30 Sun Plaza ⇒ 11:35 Ojiya Station ⇒ (Arrival) 11:55 Ojiya Bullring *After the initiative is over, we will drive in the reverse route. [Future scheduled dates] Sunday, June 1st, Sunday, July 6th, Sunday, August 10th, Saturday, September 13th, Sunday, October 5th, Sunday, November 2nd *Depending on future circumstances, there may be changes to the event contents. About the first location of the bull’s horn attack Prefecturally designated tangible cultural property “Thirty-three Kannon and two other statues created by Bokugu Shonin” unveiled Ojiya City is dotted with shrines and temples that attract the faith of local people. Mokugui Kannon-do Hall houses 33 Kannon statues, including the Chuson Nyoirin Kannon statue, as well as Gyoki Bosatsu and Daikokuten statues. These Buddhist statues were carved by Mokugu Shonin, an itinerant monk in the late Edo period, who stayed in Ojiya City for about a month in 1803 (Kyowa 3).
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/147972/22/147972-22-882493d60df5b6086b4f8cc2aadffc00-300×200.jpg The principal image of Nyoirin Kannon, Gyoki Bosatsu (right), and Daikokuten (left) View details Ojiya image character “Yoshita-kun” “Yoshita-kun” promotes Ojiya by participating in events such as bull horn-butting and major festivals and events, as well as tourism campaigns within and outside the prefecture. The happi coat, men’s tsuna, and seko style make it stand out, promoting Ojiya as a “giugyu”. [Origin of the name] The bull horn-butting begins with Seko’s cry of “Yoshita!” The word “Yoshita” is still used in this region as a compliment to mean “you’re doing well” or “you did your best.” We named him “Yoshita-kun” with the hope that everyone would say “Yoshita! Yoshita!” and that he would become a beloved image character.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/147972/22/147972-22-5b7b477391ede6757330273fca8bf16d-1863×2700.jpg Ojiya image character “Yoshita-kun” About Ojiya
City Ojiya City Nigiwai Exchange Division Tourism Section Person in charge: Kobayashi/Kibuchi TEL: 0258-83-3512 FAX:
0258-83-0871 E-mail: kanko@city.ojiya.niigata.jp
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