Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine Autumn Festival 若宮八幡秋季大祭・裸祭り

Official explanation

The Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine Autumn Festival has been celebrated for over 900 years and was originally intended to express gratitude for a good harvest. Today it is one of three Hadaka Matsuri in Japan––festivals in which male participants wear a loincloth called a shimekomi, and nothing else other than socks, despite the cold autumn weather.

The three-day festival revolves around a portable shrine called a mikoshi. On the first day, men carry the mikoshi from Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine, which lies on the east bank of the Katsura River, and parade it through several neighborhoods. It is then carried across the frigid river in which stands a five-ton, 16-meter torch called a taimatsu (also known as Otaimatsu). The torch is set ablaze by a burning arrow shot from the nearby Odama Bridge and burns brightly, lighting up the mikoshi as it is carried through the river. The cheering crowd and the pounding taiko drums encourage the men as they carry the mikoshi to Geku Shrine, located downstream of the west bank of the Katsura River. After resting for two nights, the men return the mikoshi to Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine using the same route through the river. Again, the Otaimatsu is set alight, illuminating the mikoshi while the men bravely walk through the freezing water.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.