Prizefighter bulls lead pampered life

Contests between Yokozuma attract big crowds in Okinawa

Bloodshot eyes fixed menacingly on their foes and snorting furiously, two giant bulls smash into each other with shuddering force: in Japanese bullfighting, matadors need not apply.

Tongues hanging out and foam dripping from their mouths, the sweat-soaked beasts lock horns as barefooted handlers slap them on the backside and scream encouragement, risking life and limb beside the bovine battering rams, many of which weigh well over a metric ton.