Controversy arises over police crackdown on Iwate 'naked festival'

Mainichi Daily News
Feb 9, 2008

OSHU, Iwate -- Controversy has arisen over a festival at a temple here in which one participant holding a central role traditionally appears completely naked, with police threatening for the first time to take action against any acts of public indecency.

The Somin Festival, held at Kokusekiji Temple in Oshu, features men in loincloths who participate in scrambles for a sack called "sominbukuro." Every year one participant who plays the central role in the festival appears completely naked, in line with tradition.

This year, however, police said that appearing naked constitutes public indecency, and added that they would take action against such behavior.

The threat has met resistance from some of the 16 managers of the festival who say that they will "protect tradition" even if it means getting arrested.

In the festival, one designated participant appears naked and climbs the lattice of the temple's main hall with a knife in his mouth. When the sominbukuro sack comes close, he jumps down on top of the crowd of men and, after glaring in four directions, he slices the sack open, bringing the scramble to a climax.

Originally, all of the participants were naked, but the number of female spectators increased and some participants took part for the purpose of flashing their private parts, prompting temple officials several years ago to rule that people were not to appear naked outside of the festival, and that ordinary participants should wear loincloths. However, it still permitted for the participant playing the central role to show up stark naked.

Police said they could not allow activities that were against the law.

"It may have been thought that it was silently approved because it was a religious ritual, but if there are actions that run counter to the law, our stance of taking the action that we should take does not change," a police representative said. The representative added that because the festival had spectators it was of a public nature.