http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080...0na022000c.html


"An annual "crying sumo" contest for babies, in which pairs of infants are brought together to see who can cry the first or the loudest, was held at Tokyo's Sensoji Temple on Sunday.

In crying sumo the babies are held up by amateur sumo wrestlers in a ring, and the baby who cries first is the winner. If both babies cry, then the one that cries loudest wins. A total of 84 babies born last year participated in the contest at the temple.

The contest takes place under the gaze of a statue of Danjuro Ichikawa IX, a famous kabuki actor who first played the part of hero Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa in the kabuki play "Shibaraku". Kagemasa was a famously strong child, and crying sumo is held to pray for children's healthy growth. "