Three men participating in the annual Hadaka Matsuri (naked festival) in Okayama City, Japan, were left unconscious on Wednesday night, with a total of six attendees requiring hospitalization, local authorities reported. The incident occurred during the height of the festival’s most intense period, the争奪戦 (sōdatsusen) – a fierce scramble for sacred wooden sticks known as “shingi.”
The three unconscious men, aged 42, 47, and 58, were discovered within the densely packed crowd of participants, according to the Okayama East Police Station. All three were actively involved in the struggle for the shingi when they collapsed. Their conditions are currently unknown. The other three hospitalized men, whose ages were not immediately released, were able to communicate with first responders.
The West Daishi Temple Festival, as it is officially known, draws approximately 10,000 participants annually, all clad in minimal clothing – typically a loincloth (fundoshi). The festival culminates in the throwing of two shingi from the second-story “御福窓” (ofuku-mado) of the temple’s main hall. Participants believe that possessing a shingi will bring good fortune for the year.
The chaotic scramble for the shingi is a centuries-old tradition, designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. However, the event has a history of injuries, and in 2007, a participant died after being trampled during the contest for the wooden sticks.
Organizers had deployed approximately 1,150 security personnel – including police, firefighters, and private security guards – to monitor the event and provide assistance. Firefighters stationed on the second floor of the main hall were tasked with observing the crowd for signs of distress and coordinating rescues via loudspeaker. Despite these precautions, the incident underscores the inherent risks associated with the festival’s intensely physical nature.
The West Daishi Temple Festival is held annually on February 21st as the concluding event of a Buddhist memorial service. The shingi themselves are approximately 4 centimeters in diameter and 20 centimeters in length, replacing earlier paper talismans that were easily damaged during the scramble.
Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the injuries and the cause of the three men’s unconsciousness. No further details have been released regarding their medical conditions or the specific location within the temple grounds where they were found.