# Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri

> A rite to drive out misfortune, held at Owari Okunitama Shrine (Konomiya) in Inazawa, Aichi, on the 13th day of the first lunar month. Groups of naked men carry naoi-zasa bamboo into the shrine, and at 15:00 the crowd surges towards the shin-otoko, the one man chosen to take on everyone's misfortune. In 2027 it falls on Friday 19 February.

- Prefecture: Aichi
- Type: Other
- Admission: Free to attend
- Typically held: The 13th day of the first month of the old lunar calendar, which falls in February or early March. The main ritual starts at 15:00.
- Official site: https://www.konomiya.or.jp/hadakamatsuri

## Dates

- 2027-02-19 to 2027-02-19
- Status: confirmed
- Dates verified on 2026-11-03 from https://www.konomiya.or.jp/hadakamatsuri

The proper name is Naoi Shinji. The shrine says it goes back to 767, when the governor of Owari province held prayers at Owari Okunitama Shrine to drive away a plague. According to the Aichi prefectural tourism site, the present form, with men going naked in the cold, took shape at the end of the Edo period. Before the festival the shrine gathers volunteers and chooses one of them by lot as the naoinin, better known as the shin-otoko. On the day, groups of naked men from the surrounding districts carry naoi-zasa, bamboo branches hung with cloths on which people who cannot strip themselves have written their names, ages and prayers against misfortune. The earliest groups arrive around noon, and they run the bamboo into the hall of worship with a shout. At 15:00 the shin-otoko comes out, guarded, into the men packed along the approach. They believe that touching him rids them of their own misfortune, so they all rush him at once, and the shoving is fierce. Once he has taken on everyone's misfortune and reached the Naoiden hall, the ritual ends. The night is not over for him. At 3:00 the next morning, in the Yonaoi Shinji, he is given a cake of earth said to hold the misfortunes of the world to carry on his back and is driven out of the shrine grounds with a large sacred bell and tsubute, small missiles made from peach and willow twigs. He drops the earth cake on his way home. The day before, a giant kagami mochi of about four tonnes, 2.35 metres tall, is offered at the shrine. It is cut up the day after the festival and handed out at the Naoiden.

## FAQ

### When is the Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri in 2027?

Friday 19 February 2027, with the ritual starting at 15:00. It is always held on the 13th day of the first lunar month, so the date changes every year; in 2026 it was 1 March.

### Who is the shin-otoko?

The naoinin, the one man who takes on the misfortune of everyone else. The shrine gathers volunteers and picks him by lot about ten days before the festival. The naked men try to touch him to rid themselves of misfortune, and in the early hours after the festival he is driven out of the shrine carrying a cake of earth that holds it.

### Can I take part without stripping?

Yes, through a sasayo-nuno, a cloth on which you write your name and age. The shrine ties it to a naoi-zasa, and naked men carry it into the shrine on the day. It costs 500 yen and is sold for about a month, until two days before the festival.

### Can I drive there?

Better not. Roads around the shrine are restricted for three days before and after the ritual and the shrine car park cannot be used at all. Konomiya Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line is 3 minutes on foot from the north exit, and JR Inazawa Station is 15 minutes on foot.

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Source: [Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri — Japan Voyage](https://travel.japanvoyage.jp/festivals/konomiya-hadaka-matsuri)
Last updated: 2026-11-04