F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-145
naked
Nanukadō Hadakamairi (Seventh-Day Hall Naked Pilgrimage)
七日堂裸詣りなぬかどうはだかまいり
D A T E2026-01-07
A New Year naked rite transmitted for over a thousand years at Fukuman Kokūzō Bosatsu Enzōji in Yanaizu Town, Fukushima. Men wearing only loincloths climb a hemp rope hanging from the great wani-guchi (suspended temple bell) in the main hall and cling to it to pray for a year of warded misfortune, health, and family safety. One of the foremost New Year rites of the Aizu region, said to derive from a Heian-period dragon-deity legend. The wani-guchi hangs near the ceiling, and the climb of several meters produces injuries every year — a genuine austerity.
N O P H O T O
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01One of Aizu's foremost New Year rites, transmitted over 1,000 years
- 02Loincloth-clad men climb the wani-guchi's hemp rope
- 03Traces to a Heian-period dragon-deity legend
- 04Naked rite on the freezing night of January 7
- 05Information published by Yanaizu Town tourism office
D E E P D I V E
Deep Dive
R E F E R E N C E