Japan’s Famous Nakéd Festival Just Left Three Men Fighting for Life – Again
Imagine 10,000 grown men stripped down to nothing but loincloths, crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in pitch-black darkness, screaming “Wasshoi! Wasshoi!” as they claw, push, and trample each other for two tiny wooden sticks they believe will bring them insane luck for the year. Sounds insane? It is. It’s also one of Japan’s most famous traditional festivals – the Saidaiji Eyo “Naked Festival” – and on saturday night it turned into a horror show.
Three men are still unconscious in the hospital after being pulled lifeless from the pile. Emergency teams shocked hearts back to life. Witnesses described people “falling in an avalanche.” And now the 500-year-old rite is staring down its own possible death sentence.
Three men are still unconscious in the hospital after being pulled lifeless from the pile. Emergency teams shocked hearts back to life. Witnesses described people “falling in an avalanche.” And now the 500-year-old rite is staring down its own possible death sentence.
The Scene Was Pure Mayhem
Saturday, just after 10 p.m. Main hall of Saidaiji Kannon-in temple, Okayama City. Lights out. Head priest tosses two sacred shingi sticks into the sea of nearly-naked bodies. Instant frenzy. Six men collapse under the crush. Three recover after treatment. The other three? Still unconscious days later – a 58-year-old and a 47-year-old from Okayama, plus a 42-year-old from nearby Mimasaka.
The Bodies Were Found in Piles
Two victims were discovered together on the south side of the hall. The third is on the west side. Defibrillators fired. Cardiac massage was performed right there on the temple floor. Ambulances screamed away. Alcohol breath tests were done because – surprise – some guys drink sake to “fight the cold” before jumping into the freezing melee.
This Isn’t the First Time people Have Died Here
2007: One man was crushed to death. 1987: another fatality. Every year, emergency services haul people out. After 2007, they banned jewellery and added a few rules. Clearly not enough. Organisers now admit that three men left unconscious is “unprecedented” and are openly talking about rule changes – or even cancellation.
The Festival’s Own Chairman Sounds Scared
Minoru Omori, head of the Saidaiji Eyo Support Association: “Our first priority is investigating the cause… then we’ll consider revising the rules.” Another official told Fuji news the event “may have to be cancelled in the future.” Translation: they know this could be the beginning of the end.
Public Split Down the Middle – tradition vs. Survival
One side: “Young people need this release. It’s cultural stress-relief. Don’t kill the festival – just fix the safety.”
The other side: “People have died before. How many more bodies before you stop? It’s a human sandwich with no escape.”
Online comments range from “review how it’s run” to “I can’t believe they still do this.”
Even Academics Are Torn
One professor (who stayed anonymous) says three serious injuries in one night looks bad… but “misfortune, not systemic failure.” He compared it to Seoul’s 2022 Halloween crush (150+ dead) and reminded everyone japan is “risk-averse almost to absurdity.” Still, he asks the million-yen question: where’s the line between preserving heritage and preventing random, preventable deaths?
This isn’t cute eccentricity anymore.
It’s 10,000 desperate, half-naked men risking their lives for two pieces of wood in the dark – and this time the luck ran out for three of them.
It’s 10,000 desperate, half-naked men risking their lives for two pieces of wood in the dark – and this time the luck ran out for three of them.
Organisers are praying for recovery while quietly wondering if they just presided over the festival’s last “Wasshoi!”
Locals are worried their biggest winter spectacle might vanish forever.
And the rest of us are left asking: how many unconscious bodies does it take before “tradition” stops being an excuse? Japan’s naked festival just got a brutal reality check.
Locals are worried their biggest winter spectacle might vanish forever.
And the rest of us are left asking: how many unconscious bodies does it take before “tradition” stops being an excuse? Japan’s naked festival just got a brutal reality check.
Whether it survives depends on whether they value human life more than sacred sticks.