Japanese women participated in the “naked festival” at a shrine in central Japan for the first time in nearly 1,250 years, marking a watershed moment. Women dressed in purple robes sang loudly as they carried a large bamboo trunk as a ritual offering. Seven groups of ladies participated in the rite, which involved praying for happiness. Despite the event’s name, the participants aren’t naked. Its rites are also thought to repel malevolent spirits. Women wore “Happi Coats,” which are robes that reach the hips and are traditionally worn at Japanese festivals. “I heard that women could participate so I wanted to take part to help bring excitement to this town and festival,” Reuters quoted a 59-year-old civil servant Emi Tachibana, one of the participants, as saying.
The women, however, did not join the festival’s main event where a large group of men clashed together to drive away evil spirits
A priest at the shrine named Naruhito Tsunoda stated that women were allowed to participate and that some had even made minor offerings as individuals previously. However, he said that when last year a women’s group inquired if they could be a part of the event, saying ‘yes’ was easy. “I believe the most important thing is for there to be a fun festival for everyone. I think God would be happiest about that too,” he said. The women, however, did not join the festival’s main event where a large group of men clashed together to drive away evil spirits.
Tsunoda claimed that it would be difficult for the authorities to open up that part of the festival to women because of the physical component. The Japanese government said in 2023 that it would endeavour to improve women’s participation in society after an annual report revealed that the country was struggling to close the gender gap. The World Economic Forum’s gender parity study rated Japan 125th out of 146 nations in 2023, down from 116th in 2022.