The cheerleaders are part of a century-old tradition that some fear faces an existential crisis, with fewer students showing an interest in the hardcore art form
Members of the Meiji University "Oendan" cheering during a university baseball game at Meiji Jingu Baseball Park in Tokyo. Image: YUICHI YAMAZAKI / AFP©
They are drenched in sweat, their hands bloodied from clapping, and their voices hoarse from shouting—meet Japan's predominantly male and unashamedly macho "leadership section" cheerleaders.
The cheerleaders are part of a century-old tradition that some fear faces an existential crisis, with fewer students showing an interest in the hardcore art form.
And now there is a push for the squads and their counterparts in Japan's traditional "oendan" cheering groups to be registered as part of the country's "intangible" cultural heritage.
The "leadership section" cheerleaders are a formidable sight. Dressed in old-fashioned school-style uniforms, they are a mass of black at college baseball games as they belch out chants, bang taiko drums and thrust their fists in rigid, martial moves. Â
"We give it our all to the point of ridiculousness, and that's what makes us so cool," said Taisuke Ono, 21, a member of a squad at Tokyo's Waseda University.