Saidaiji Eyō (会陽), the naked festival 西大寺会陽
In 1510 the faithful stripped off to fight over a monk's amulets: and so the rite was born.
Tradition traces its origin to 1510, when the monk Chūa handed out protective amulets at the end of the shushū-e purification rite, and the faithful took off their clothes to fight over the amulets with their bare hands. It is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Men from junior high school age upwards may take part, provided they have no tattoos and have not drunk alcohol; there is also a version for younger participants, the ‘boys' naked festival’.
Okayama
Saidaiji
