Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival)

A hadaka matsuri hadakamatsuri (裸祭り, hadakamatsuri) (literally naked festival) is a type of Japanese festival, or matsuri, where participants wear a minimum amount of clothing; usually just a Japanese loincloth (called fundoshi), sometimes with a short happi coat, and very rarely completely naked.

Whatever the clothing, it is considered to be above vulgar, or everyday, undergarments, and on the level of holy Japanese shrine attire. Naked festivals are held in dozens of places throughout Japan every year, usually in the summer or winter.

It is common that mud is involved in the festivities in some way, and this no doubt lends to the entertainment.

Hadaka matsuri held in summer tend to involve participants in loincloths carrying mikoshi, while carrying portable shrines.

Hadaka matsuri held in winter tend to involve ritual purification by water followed by a mass fight for a holy object (such as a stick, jewel, etc) that symbolizes the event.

Participants are often adult males, who try to cultivate a strong image; however, young boys and girls have been known at times to participate, and in this sense the festival can become a rite of passage for young participants. Most naked festivals limit participation to adult males, but many have separate events where youth may participate, allowing communities to pass their traditions from generation to generation.

Some locations are dedicated to young men’s (or rarer still, women’s) hadaka matsuris. This is more common in Western Japan.

Some places have changed their hadaka matsuri traditions, and switched to female sumo instead.

Like other festivals in Japan, hadaka matsuri have multiple forms of entertainment for spectators, including stalls with food and games, and taiko drumming. Tourists often travel to see the spectacle.