And so the brave warriors go into battle: one side against the other and there can only be one survivor.
Except in this case, their weapons are drums and the judges can call it a draw.
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We were in Fujinomiya-shi, Shizuoka-ken for the “Bunka no hi” long weekend and for 3 days, from 8am-late, these groups of elders, Taiko drummers, flute players, dancers and hangers-on from each part of town were banging their way around town. Occasionally groups from different areas would meet head-on in the road and try to “Taiko” each other into submission.

The two teams would be face-to-face, each playing their own beat and shouting as loud as they could, trying to make the other group lose their timing.
If neither team gave up, a judge was called upon to give a verdict.
^{[2] [3]}
At the end both teams would drink sake together and then continue on their separate ways.