10,000 Men. One Ritual. Absolute Chaos.

On March 1st, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, the centuries-old Konomiya Naked Festival returned in full force. Nearly 10,000 men—dressed in minimal traditional garments—gathered for the Naoi Shinji ritual, a wild, physical event rooted in purification and renewal.
At the center of it all is the Shin-otoko, a man believed to absorb the community’s misfortune. When he appears, the crowd surges. And I mean surges. Thousands of bodies pressing forward, all trying to touch him and pass off their bad luck. It’s intense, chaotic, and deeply symbolic.
This year’s chosen figure, 26-year-old Kimuray Yuki, was met with roaring energy as he made his way into the shrine, marking the ritual’s peak moment.
Spiritual cleansing, collective energy, and a whole lot of skin—it’s tradition, turned all the way up.