Traditional March for Good Health, Harvest Defies Cold in Iwate Pref. City

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:20 JST, January 9, 2025

HACHIMANTAI, Iwate — About 30 men and women in white marched in snowy weather in the Hirakasa district of Hachimantai, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday, as part of a traditional event to wish for good health and a good harvest.

The event is called Hirakasa Hadaka Mairi (Hirakasa naked walk). It is believed to have started about 300 years ago when Mt. Iwate erupted and local men prayed naked to calm the anger of the god of the mountain. During World War II, wives and mothers of men enlisted in the military took part in the procession and the event became what it is today, with both men and women walking in white clothes.

The procession started from the district’s Miyata Shrine after participants purified themselves both physically and spiritually by bathing in cold water early in the morning. They walked for about 8 kilometers to Yasaka Shrine, each carrying a two-meter long stick called kenzao and holding in their mouths a piece of paper believed to fend off sickness.

“I walked while praying for good health for the year,” said a 64-year-old woman from Hachimantai, who has been taking part in the march over 30 years. “Young people came to join the event as well. I’m glad they are taking over the event.”