BUM FIGHT!
Thousands of men brave freezing temperatures to fight for lucky charms thrown by a priest at Japan’s annual Naked Man Festival
The participants battle it out in the hopes of grabbing the sacred sticks to become 'fuku otoko' - lucky men
THOUSANDS of men stripped off to battle it out for a pair of lucky sticks as part of Japan's annual Naked Man Festival.
Up to 10,000 men braved the freezing temperatures to take part in Hadaka Matsuri at the Saidaiji Kannon-in temple in Okayama City.
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The scantily-clad volunteers shoved and pushed each other for more than an hour to retrieve sacred batons known as shingi.
The sticks are thrown by a priest into the crowd and are believed to bring good luck for an entire year to whoever manages to grab one.
The men, who wore white Japanese loincloths, stepped into freezing cold fountains to purify their bodies with water before heading into the temple.
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At around 10pm local time, the lights are switched off and the sacred sticks, which measure 4cm in diameter and 20cm in length, are chucked into the crowd.
The men then scramble around in a bid to grab the pair of shingi.
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The winners are branded 'fuku otoko' - lucky men - after they have placed the sticks in a wooden measuring box.
Naked Man Festival dates back 500 years when worshippers used to compete for a paper talisman thrown by the priest.
As more people received good fortune from catching the talismans, the festival increased in size.
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But it isn't the only ritual in Japan that requires participants to strip down.
Each year, around 100 people bare all in the ancient Shinto festival of Kanchu Misogi.
The winter purification event sees participants strip down to just loincloths and headbands before taking a dip in the pool at Teppozu Inari Shinto shrine.
They then crouch down in the freezing water to pray - before hugging large blocks of ice.
What is the Hadaka Matsuri - Naked Man - Festival?
The annual festival started 500 years ago when participants would compete to receive a paper talisman called Go-o thrown by a priest.
The talismans were tokens of the completion of New Year ascetic training by the priests.
As the number of people who wanted good fortune increased each year, the paper talismans were changed to sacred sticks known as shingi.
Around 10,000 men now strip to loincloths and shout "Wasshoi! Wasshoi!", which roughly translates as 'unifying together'.
They gather at the Saidaiji Kannon-in temple in Okayama City so they can be purified in a freezing fountain.
Once inside, the lights are turned off and the shingi are thrown into the crowd.
The men then battle for the sacred sticks so they can have a year of good luck and happiness.
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