Ohara Hadaka Festival

The Ohara Hadaka Festival, also known as the “Naked Festival”, is held annually on September 23 and 24 and is one of the most dynamic and revered traditional festivals in the Kanto region. The word hadaka means “naked”, referring to the traditional loincloth attire of the participants.

Festival Highlights

Shiofumi

The festival opens with the dramatic Shiofumi ritual at Ohara Beach. Prayers for a rich harvest and plentiful fishing are offered as more than a dozen mikoshi (portable shrines) are carried into the sea. Surging through the waves, clashing and rising high above the water, the shrines create a breathtaking and heroic spectacle.

Oowakare-shiki (Grand Farewell Ceremony)

The festival’s climax, the Oowakare-shiki, takes place on both evenings. As dusk falls, the mikoshi gather before the historic Kidoizumi Sake Brewery, then parade through Ohara’s bustling central shopping street toward the elementary school grounds. For nearly a kilometre, the town becomes a sea of people and shrines. Inside the schoolyard, the mikoshi charge and collide in fierce bursts of energy before being tossed high into the night air. As fireworks paint the autumn sky, the bearers join together in song, expressing both the joy of the moment and the sorrow of parting.

History and Tradition

The Ohara Hadaka Festival traces its roots back to the Edo period. Ema plaques dedicated at Takiuchi Shrine as early as 1841 depict scenes of the festival, showing that its customs were already firmly established by then. In a time with little entertainment, the festival was the highlight of the year, cherished by all. As elders recalled, “We would pawn anything just to prepare for the festival”. Recognising its value in strengthening unity, even the local feudal lord monitored its success, with reports of the safe conclusion of the mikoshi procession sent directly to the lord of Ōtaki Castle.

Once held in mid-August, the festival was moved with the calendar reform of the Meiji era to late September. Since 1913, it has been fixed to September 23–24, aligning with the autumn equinox.

During the war years, some parish leaders sought to cancel the festival, fearing it was inappropriate. Yet the police insisted it continue, declaring its unmatched vigour vital for raising community morale.