There is no winner. Every bout ends in a draw. In the mountains of Echigo, a tradition said to be nearly a thousand years old pits bulls weighing close to a ton against one another in a ring. But here in Ojiya, before any animal can be beaten, men called seko rush in to separate them, ensuring the contest always ends even. The point was never victory. It was to raise a bull with care, let it test its strength, and bring it home unharmed, a code shaped by mountain life. The custom is old enough to appear in Edo-period literature. After the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake devastated the region, the people returned to the hills with their bulls and resumed the bouts. A UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.