Minami-Uonuma

Naked Man Festival (浦佐毘沙門堂裸押合大祭): In the beginning of March of every year there is a Naked Man Festival held at Bukoji Temple (普光寺) in Urasa town (浦佐) near the Shinkansen station. There are many of these kinds of Festivals held throughout Japan, each with its own regional flavor. At least one Japanese website claims that this particular Festival has 1200 years of history, but this is unconfirmed. The common description is that hordes of scantily clad men push and shove each other while chanting and carrying burning candles. What is actually occurring is a bit more complex. For the purposes of the Festival, there is a person appointed as the “good luck keeper”, who sits upon the elevated stage/main altar of the Temple. To touch this person is deemed to bring good luck the entire year. However, the correct and required way to touch this person is to proceed directly through the middle of the Temple, approaching “straight” down the center....