Maruta Nobori (丸太登り), originally named Taki Nobori (滝登り), called Cataract Climb (Taki Nobori)/Barrel Climb (Maruta Nobori) in English broadcasts, was the first ever obstacle appeared in SASUKE.
The obstacle originally consisted of five freely-rotating drums that angled upwards at forty-five degrees. Once competitors jump over the pit, they must traverse and climb over the drums.
In its debut tournament, the drums were textured like a waterfall, resembling the name of the obstacle; Taki means "Waterfall" in Japanese. Another notable difference of the Taki Nobori was the second drum having a softer material compared to the other drums, to help cushion the competitor's landing on the obstacle. This would lead to one instance during Yamane Kōichi's run where his foot got caught in-between the barrels when transiting.
When the obstacle's name changed to Maruta Nobori in the following tournament, the design of the obstacle was also modified. To prevent future instances such as Yamane Kōichi's run, every drum would now have the same material which was now textured as logs.
This obstacle required a good foothold or fast recovery, as the drums/logs would roll when the competitors tried to reach the top of the obstacle. The best way to clear the obstacle was to try and leap over the drums/logs with two long jumps, as the more contact time with the drums/logs, the more chance for the competitors to fail at the obstacle.
In a recent interview, Masato Inui, the current producer of SASUKE, mentioned that as the very first obstacle to be introduced in SASUKE, his goal in mind was to make an obstacle that would send competitors down to the water. But if SASUKE becomes a continuous series, he needed to make an obstacle that is recognizable and allows them to end their runs dynamically right from the start. In addition, the original design of the Taki Nobori was inspired by waterfall backdrops that are present in Japanese Kabuki. While, the reason for the design change for the Maruta Nobori was due to the fact that starting from SASUKE 2, the competition was filmed outdoors which warrants a more distinct design for the obstacle in order to match the aesthetic of the course.
Yamamoto Shingo attempting Taki Nobori in SASUKE 1
Fujii Megumi attempting Maruta Nobori in SASUKE 5
After seven tournaments, it was replaced by Godantobi in SASUKE 8, although it would later return in SASUKE 31, for which it was combined with Maruta Kudari to create a new obstacle known as Rolling Hill.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast, external information found, and the official SASUKE book.
| SASUKE | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 84 | 100 | 84% |
| 2 | 69 | 100 | 69% |
| 3 | 70 | 99 | 70.71% |
| 4 | 92 | 100 | 92% |
| 5 | 86 | 96 | 89.58% |
| 6 | 88 | 97 | 90.72% |
| 7 | 86 | 100 | 86% |
| Total | 575 | 692 | 83.09% |
- Notes: According to a special before SASUKE 15, the obstacle was said to be cleared 587 times out of its 700 attempts.
Gallery[]
