If you find yourself in the centre of Dogo Island, keep your eyes open for an atypical activity introduced to the archipelago by Emperor Go-Toba in 1221: Ushi-tsuki. The sport scrupulously follows the rules of sumo but involves two bulls in the arena. After clearly marking a circle in salt on the sand, the two bulls are ready to face one another. No fatal injuries or executions though, the winner becomes evident when one bull manages to block the other, head to head, forcing it to retreat, defeated.