Hundreds of babies have faced-off in the sumo ring in an annual crying contest pitting toddlers against each other.

The so-called crying sumo event, held at Tokyo’s Sensoji Temple in the historic Asakusa district, is a Japanese tradition believed to bring infants good health.

Hulking sumo wrestlers attempt to make babies bawl on command to the delight of parents and onlookers.

• Keira Knightley welcomes her first cheeky baby
• ‘Sick, sadistic’ radio host kills baby rabbit live on air
• Plibersek coy about binding vote on gay marriage

The ceremony dates back some 400 years and is held at shrines and temples nationwide.

The rules vary from region to region – in some versions the babies are raced against each other to see who will cry first, while in others the first crier is the loser.

In the Asakusa event, which has been running since 1991, pairs of toddlers were brought into the sumo ring, where real sumo wrestlers held them and shook them gently as a referee shouted, “Cry! Cry!”.

The winner was judged to be the infant who cried the quickest and loudest.

Some burst out screaming with little prompting, but others required judges to enter the ring wearing a devil mask.

Enough to bring you to tears: parents celebrate with their babies.