National Defense Academy

Tukko (突攻, lead attackers): the frontline rush unit; the first wave to make contact with the defensive ring around the opponent's pole. Their task is to break through or displace defenders to expose the pole.; Scrum unit: a wedge of attackers who drive together in a coordinated push to create a g...

Pole holders: players who physically cling to the pole — gripping it, adding body weight against the direction of tilt, or bracing at the base. Their mass and grip are the pole's primary resistance to toppling.; Defensive circle (ring defenders): a ring of players who surround the pole base and a...

Duration: 2 minutes from the starting signal; If neither team has tilted the opponent's pole to 30 degrees when time expires, the match continues to an angle-judgment decision (see Scoring)

At the starting signal, both teams begin simultaneously: attackers advance toward the opponent's pole while defenders take up their assigned positions around their own pole. There is no phase delay between attack and defense — both happen from the first second.

No bats, balls, projectiles, or scoring instruments are used. The pole itself is the only apparatus.

A panel of judges monitors the angle of each pole throughout the 2-minute match and makes the final determination on angle-judgment decisions when neither pole reaches 30 degrees by time expiry; NDA event staff manage time, safety intervention, and match officiating

NDA cadet uniform or athletic kit consistent with the player's team assignment; Sturdy footwear suitable for grass or dirt surface; No protective padding required beyond standard athletic wear; the sport's nature produces incidental contact, and players are expected to be physically conditioned a...

Each team defends a single tall wooden pole (the "bo") erected vertically at its end of the field. The pole is set into the ground or braced at the base and is tall enough to accommodate a rider on top and a cluster of defenders clinging to its length.

Bo-taoshi is played on the NDA's outdoor grounds at its Yokosuka campus. Two poles are erected at opposite ends of the playing field, one for each team.

Each team of 150 is divided into two groups at the start of the match: an attacking contingent that advances toward the opponent's pole, and a defending contingent that protects their own pole. Roles within each contingent are assigned by team lea...