Japan's naked festival Hadaka Matsuri a stripped back affair in Okayama

The Naked Festival at Saidaiji Temple in 2017, looked very different to this year. Photo / Getty Images

This time last year, the Saidaiji Kannonin temple in Japan's Okayama prefecture was a writhing ball of flesh.

The Hadaka Matsuri or "Naked Festival" is a hugely popular attraction which sees thousands of men gathering from across the southern part of Honshu Island. On the third Saturday of February they are invited to strip down to a simple loincloth and join the fray to battle for 'holy sticks'. The fertility festival has roots going back almost 1000 years.

In temples across the prefecture there are normally hundreds of such melees at regional temples, drawing up to 10000 men at a time.

However, in the midst of a global pandemic organisers have been forced to plan celebrations that are a bit more 'modest'.

The 'almost' Naked Festival in 2005. Photo / Getty Images

The Hadaka Matsuri has been continually observed for 500 years, uninterrupted by wars or previous public health scares.

Priests at this specific temple in Okayama were reluctant to call the whole thing off. Instead they reached a compromise which saw a modest gathering of around 100 youths turning up in their 'fundoshi' loincloths for a severely downsized and somewhat distanced festival.

Normally a spectacle that draws participants and spectators, this year's Eyo took place behind closed doors and for among staff only.

In a statement from the Temple's chairman Minoru Omori, the temple said they had sought a way not to lose the "essence" of Eyo.

"In discussion with the chief priest and committee members, we have reached the conclusion that we need to pray [for] Eyo now," he said.

"Eyo relates to a term called 'ichiyo-raifuku,' which means 'to withstand the harsh, cold winter and reach the warmth of spring.'

"In other words, we pray for good luck after continuous bad things."

Men cram into the temple waiting for priests to drop the 'lucky sticks' at the 2015 Hadaka Matsuri. Photo / Getty Images

The Eyo normally sees thousands of young men in nothing by "fundoshi" loincloths and white 'tabi' socks, gather in the freezing waters of the temple pool. At 10pm the priest turns the lights out and hurls the "lucky sticks" into the writhing mass of participants.
Despite the confusion, the contest element rarely lasts longer the half an hour. Injuries are not uncommon, but rarely severe.

In 2016 the festival was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset by Unesco. During almost 1000 years of observation it is thought that the lucky sticks replaced paper talismans, which were too fragile to survive the competition. It is thought that clothes were originally part of the ritual competition, but participants quickly realised they were prone to tear and 'slow them down'.