In 2007,135 participants were admitted to hospital with serious injuries (including spinal fractures). The festival often takes the lives of participants and spectators.
The Suwa Onbashira Festival is held every 6 years (Chinese year of the monkey and tiger) in Suwa, Nagano prefecture. Giant cedar trees are harvested from a primordial forest. Four trees are selected (they're used to symbolically repair the foundation of Suwa Taisha Shrine).
The festival has been held for more than 1200 years. The logs are delivered over rough terrain by human power (and gravity). The festival attracts 1.8 million spectators.
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