Overview
- Shortly after 10pm Saturday at Saidaiji Kannon-in Temple, an estimated 10,000 participants crowded the main hall for the shingi toss.
- Six men collapsed and were taken to hospital, with emergency crews using defibrillators and cardiac massage on site.
- Local reports said three injured men were released after treatment, while three remained unconscious as of the latest updates.
- Organizers and authorities pointed to the moment the lights were extinguished and the sacred sticks were thrown as the likely trigger for the crush.
- The incident renewed scrutiny of the centuries-old event’s safety and sustainability given recurring injuries and an aging participant base, with fatalities recorded in 1987 and 2007.