Kyoto Festival: Naked Dance at Hokai-ji (Hadaka Odori)

At Hokai-ji Temple in south-eastern Kyoto, a ritual called the Hadaka Odori takes place on the last night of the New Year’s services, January 14th. Held to pray for an abundant harvest, the happiness of the locals, and the fulfillment of wishes, the Hadaka Odori, or “Naked Dance”, has its roots in the Edo Period some two centuries ago. The Hadaka Odori is a very local festival attended by community members from childhood on. Before the ritual begins, women from the area serve up a tasty soup made from sake lees to keep people warm. The priests begin with a procession, blowing large conch shells as they proceed to the Yakushi Hall. Once inside they begin the sutra readings lead by the head priest. Two groups participate in the dance, a group of boys from the local elementary school and a group of older men. The men taking part in the dance douse themselves with cold water drawn from the well in order to purify their bodies. Once they have done so they run onto the Amidha Hall stage and begin to jump around, hands in the air clapping “chōrai, chōrai” as they jostle one another. The word “chōrai” is an expression of utmost devotion to the Buddhas and asks them to bless their health. The groups dance ten times, each time only for a minute or so with a minute break in between before they start to push and stomp again. Dancing in only a loincloth despite the cold January nights is said to show that you are serious in your intent and healthy in body and spirit. After the festival, the front flaps of the loincloths can be used as girdles for pregnant woman as a charm for an easy childbirth. Once the dancing has stopped the priests emerge from the Yakushi Hall and begin circling around it, blessing those who gather around by touching them on the head with kajibō sticks while chanting. After the last sutra reading is concluded, the priests file out, blowing their conch shells one last time before they bring the New Year’s festivities to an official end.

For details and more on this event, check out our website:
https://www.discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/january/hadaka-odori-hokaiji/