Cockfighting

A competition in which roosters are pitted against each other to win. In ancient times it was called "Toriawase". It is said to have originated in China during the Tang Dynasty and was introduced to Japan at the beginning of the Nara period. There is a record in the "Nihon Shoki" that Toriawase was held in the 7th year of Emperor Yuryaku's reign. During the Nara and Heian periods it was popular in the imperial court and among upper class society, and was often held especially to entertain the young emperor, and later it was held annually as one of the imperial court events on March 3rd.

Modern cockfights began as a competition to see which chickens were the best, as chicken breeding became more common, but from the Edo period through the beginning of the Meiji era, Shamo (gamecock) chickens were used and the sport was popular primarily as a form of gambling. A ban on cockfighting was issued in 1873 (Meiji 6), but due to local customs, it had little effect. In 1916 (Taisho 5), Tokyo City also banned cockfighting along with bullfighting and dogfighting, on the grounds of animal protection. Cockfights are held by a bookmaker called a torishi and a caretaker called a gomasi, who discuss with the owners of the shamo chickens to decide on a date, time and place, and gather an audience. The fight takes place on a sumo ring, which consists of a main ring and a rolled ring. The main ring is made by digging a hole in the ground in a circular shape four feet (121 cm) deep and six feet (182 cm) in diameter, with straw mats laid on the sides and bottom of the hole. The maki-dohyo is used when wrestling is held indoors, and is made of mats of the same shape and size as the main ring, standing upright. The loser is the one who loses the will to fight and crouches down, or who jumps out of the ring three or more times. Today, it is banned nationwide, not only as a form of gambling, but also from the standpoint of animal protection, but in the Chubu, Shikoku, and Kyushu regions, known for their chicken production, it is still held semi-openly as a local event.

Cockfighting dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, and was also practiced in China, India, Britain, and other countries. In Britain in particular, it was favored by the court nobility and flourished from the late 18th century to the 19th century. Today, cockfighting is widely practiced in Southeast Asia and the West Indies.

[Kuramochi Sadasuke]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

おんどりを戦わせて勝負を争う競技。古くは鶏合(とりあわ)せといった。唐の時代に中国に始まり、奈良時代の初め日本に伝えられたといわれる。『日本書紀』に雄略(ゆうりゃく)天皇の7年に鶏合せが行われたという記録がある。奈良・平安時代には宮中をはじめ上流社会で流行し、とくに幼帝のなぐさみのためしばしば催され、のちには3月3日の宮廷行事の一つとして毎年行われていた。

　現在の闘鶏は、ニワトリの飼育が盛んになるにつれて、その優劣を競うことを目的として始まったが、江戸時代から明治の初めにかけて、ニワトリはシャモ（軍鶏）を使用し、もっぱら賭(か)け事として流行していた。1873年（明治6）に闘鶏の禁令が公布されたが、地方的な風習もあり、あまり効果はなかった。また東京市は1916年（大正5）、動物愛護の立場から闘牛、闘犬とともに闘鶏も禁止している。闘鶏は、鶏師(とりし)といわれる胴元と、胡麻師(ごまし)という世話人が、シャモの所有者と話し合い、日時、場所を定め、観客を集めて開催する。勝負は土俵上で行うが、土俵には本土俵と巻土俵とがある。本土俵は地面を深さ四尺（121センチメートル）、直径六尺（182センチメートル）の円形に掘り下げ、穴の側面と底に筵(むしろ)を敷いてつくる。巻土俵は室内で行う場合のもので、本土俵と同じ形状、大きさに筵を立ててつくる。勝負は、戦意を失ってうずくまるか、3回以上土俵の外に飛び出したほうを負けとする。現在は賭け事としてはもちろん、動物愛護の立場からも全国的に禁じられているが、ニワトリの産地として知られる中部、四国、九州地方では、地方的な行事として、なかば公然と行われている。

　闘鶏は古くは古代ギリシア、ローマ時代に始まり、中国、インド、イギリスなどでも行われていた。とくにイギリスでは、宮廷貴族に好まれ、18世紀後半から19世紀にかけて隆盛を極めた。現在では東南アジア、西インド諸島などで盛んに行われている。

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