The Emperor's Cup, or Tennouhai in Japanese, is probably one of the most unique football tournaments in the world.

It is a chance to determine who is truly The Best team in the country, regardless of whether you are an amateur club or a university or a youth team or a pro. The Final is one of the biggest events in Japanese football -- taking place on New Year's day each year at the historic Kokuritsu Stadium.

In 1919, the English FA sent a cup made of pure silver to Japan. This cup became the catalyst for the establishment of an association in Japan two years later. A couple months after the association was established, we held the first national football championships -- what is now known as the Emperor's Cup. And that started the tradition of sending the Cup to the winner for the year. The name was officially switched to "Emperor's Cup" in 1951.

Kokuritsu Stadium was first used for the Cup in 1967, and the New Year's Day tradition started in 1968. In 1972, the allowance of regional participation opened the doors to a flood of participation from football clubs around the country. Now the Cup is set up to allow over 6000 teams to be a possible contender for the tournament.

There is a weird jinx attached to the Emperor's Cup, that the Champions are cursed in the season following. This season, it's been a hellish year for Tokyo Verdy, current EC champs. Still, I don't think the jinx really affects the players' desire to win it, as it is an extremely big honor and prestigious event.

I believe the original silver cup given by the FA has been replaced by a new cup in the 1960's contributed by the Emperial family...

80 teams officially participate -- they include the 18 J1 teams, the 12 J2 teams, the best two JFL teams of the previous season, the winner from the university championship, and 47 teams representing Tokyo city, Hokkaido, Kyoto, Osaka, and the remaining prefectures (this is how Japan is split up into administrative divisions).

First, the 47 representative teams plus university team play Round 1 and 2.

Those that make it through play Round 3 with the J2 and JFL teams included.

Those that make it through play in the next round with the J1 teams.

A big part of the fun is seeing whether any of the teams can pull an upset. In the mix are U-18 J-league youth teams, amateur clubs, high schools, universities, etc. We've actually seen in the 3rd round a club called Sagawa Kyubin Tokyo SC (it is a delivery company) beat J2's Consadole Sapporo 2-0. Another surprise win was ALO's Hokuriku over J2's Shonan Bellmare 2-1 (in extended time).

>>Click to download video clip of Round 3 highlights.

The real interest of course picks up when the J1 teams are thrown in the pot. Here is what the next Round 4 matches will look like:

Kashima Antlers J1 v Honda Lock (Rep. Miyagi)
Oita Trinita J1 v Tokyo Verdy J1
Nagoya Grampus J1 v ALO's Hokuriku (Rep. Toyama)
Omiya Ardija J1 v Kyoto Purple Sanga J2
Urawa Reds J1 v Montedio Yamagata J2
FC Tokyo J1 v Avispa Fukuoka J2
Yokohama F Marinos J1 v Vegalta Sendai J2
Kawasaki Frontale J1 v Sagawa Kyubin (Rep. Tokyo)
Gamba Osaka J1 v Yokohama FC J2
Kashiwa Reysol J1 v Vissel Kobe J1
Jef Chiba J1 v Ventforet Kofu J2
Cerezo Osaka J1 v Honda FC (JFL)
Jubilo Iwata J1 v Sagan Tosu J2
Albirex Niigata J1 v Thespa Kusatsu J2
Sanfrecce Hiroshima J1 v Mito Hollyhock J2
Shimizu S-Pulse J1 v Tokushima Vortis J2

The above games will take place on November 3, and the rounds will proceed until the semi-final on December 29, and the Final on January 1 2006.