Japan's traditional 'naked festival' leaves 3 attendees unconscious

OKAYAMA — A traditional Japanese festival known for thousands of nearly naked men competing to claim sacred talismans left three men unconscious in the western city of Okayama, local police said.

The three attendees were taking part in the annual event known as the "naked festival" dating back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) at Saidaiji Temple on Saturday night, the police said.

It is not immediately known how the three men were injured during the event. Three other men were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Nearly every year, some people are injured at the event, which is known as one of the country's three major eccentric festivals. One man died in 2007.

After purifying themselves with cold water, the men clad in traditional white loincloths head toward the main hall and wait for the sacred wooden sticks to be dropped.

During the Eyo festival, the temple said that men gather in a crowd, vying for two wooden sticks measuring 4 by 20 centimeters with sacred talismans wrapped around them. A local tourism federation estimates that around 10,000 people participate in the annual event.

The festival was recognized by the central government as an intangible cultural property in 2016.

© KYODO