Defend the Leader

Defend the Leader was a Lion contest that pit two or more teams against each other in a battle to defeat the opponents' leader. Each leader had a clay clip secured to his forehead by a headband, and the one which smashed the clip was considered the winner.

Historical Match
For a Defend the Leader match that was staged in celebration of Hantei XII's birthday, the Lion fielded two armies of 500 bushi in the fields near Otosan Uchi. The leader who led his "army" to victory eventually became the head geneml of the Lion armies.