"44CLASH"@en . "44CLASH is an annual yo-yo freestyle contest hosted in Japan by a team of players led by Masanobu Iwata, usually being held in a nightclub or a live house. The contest's goal is to conduct yo-yo competitions in a more relaxed environment and to promote fun and enjoyment within a contest setting, in contrast to the stress and formality of the competitions sanctioned by the JYYF. In addition to stage performances by contestants, there are also launchings of pre-release or special edition yo-yos and collaborations with popular apparel brands. The contest is considered highly exclusive and sometimes controversial, and spectators are prohibited from filming inside the venue. The contest freestyle videos are never publicly released, but a limited number of DVDs containing all the freestyles are "@en . "44CLASH is an annual yo-yo freestyle contest hosted in Japan by a team of players led by Masanobu Iwata, usually being held in a nightclub or a live house. The contest's goal is to conduct yo-yo competitions in a more relaxed environment and to promote fun and enjoyment within a contest setting, in contrast to the stress and formality of the competitions sanctioned by the JYYF. In addition to stage performances by contestants, there are also launchings of pre-release or special edition yo-yos and collaborations with popular apparel brands. The contest is considered highly exclusive and sometimes controversial, and spectators are prohibited from filming inside the venue. The contest freestyle videos are never publicly released, but a limited number of DVDs containing all the freestyles are distributed among the sponsors and other VIPs. In Japanese, 44CLASH is pronounced \"Yon-yon Clash,\" although it is commonly referred to as \"Forty-Four Clash\" in the rest of the world. The significance of 44 is that it is a slang term for a yo-yo, a homophone in Japanese. The first two contests were held on the month of September, but subsequent contests were held in November. The contests from 2008 to 2012 initially had three divisions which players could compete in; 1A, 2A, and X. This changed in the 2014 contest, which includes divisions for all five major playing styles. This may be used for subsequent contests. The first 44CLASH competition, which was held at The NiNE in September 2008, originally had all-Japanese players competing. In later contests starting from 2009, players from other parts of the world are welcomed."@en . .