Japan’s macho 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.
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 black school-style uniforms, they assemble at college baseball games as they belch out chants, bang taiko drums and thrust their fists in rigid, martial moves.
