You are perched atop a pole no girthier than a support on a screened in porch of a modest ranch in suburban America. But you’re not in America. You’re barely able to balance on the pole due to the topper that resembles a truncated lighting rod. You hold on anyway. You are the ninja. You’re mission is to keep the pole from toppling. All you can see of your teammates is the tops of their heads. Looks like Haruki is wearing a little thin. Must be from donning a ball cap too often. He’s one of 75 that will defend your position.
Here they come.
75 attackers descend upon you like a barbarian horde. They collide in waves, in unison. Your outfit absorbs the shockwave of the first and scurry to hold the position. The pole is already starting to lean. Your front line is overpowered. Your opponents make them their foot stool as they clamber toward you. They’ve got you surrounded. You kick a couple down as they grasp at your heels. The pole tilts more. Their pulling on your legs. You either let go or be torn in two. You decide to wriggle out of it. You’re free, for the time being. Now lean the opposite way! Maybe you can reverse the tilt of the pole enough to buy some time. How much time you can’t say. You’re too busy to glance down the field to see how your own company of attackers fairs. They just need to bring down that pole before yours is brought down.
This is Bo-taoshi. Some call it the Japanese Pole Game. Translated it means “pole bring-down.” Whoever gets the opponents pole to lean at a 30 degree angle first wins. (I highly recommend watching the linked video. It’s the only way to fully appreciate this game. It gets good at the :40 mark. The opening is the setup which is worth seeing.)
I’ve never seen anything close to it. The inventor should receive a firm handshake and the dinner of his/her choice. What a concept. This makes anything that happens in the X-games look like my daughter learning to ride a bike with training wheels. (It’s white with blue accents, white tires and sparkles.)
People trampled, thrown, tattered and tossed. Head gear ripped off. Shirts ripped. The barrage is constant and without mercy.
Why would anyone do this?
From where I sit it looks…excessive.
But then I had one of those moments when the contacts touch at the same time and, Zap! Circuit complete. Connection realized. Voltage flowing.
“Hey, dummy. You do this sometimes.”
“I do?”
“Yep.”
“How so?”
“For starters, when you lose your patience, or worse, your temper. What do you think that looks like to other people?”
“Go on.”
“Okay. How about when you can’t figure something out and you let it get the best of you? Or when you think something’s important and urgent so you forfeit the real important stuff to pursue what the moment presents? You’ve had some “shirts ripped” if you know what I mean. All because you didn’t think that pole should stand straight. Should I continue?”
“No. I’m good.”
“I still love you, though.”
“I know. I think I’ll go for a walk now.”
“Can I come?”
“Sure.”
“Hey, have you ever heard of Bo-taoshi?”
“No. What’s that?”
