The prayers and fervor of Urasa, carried on through water purification and hadaka-oshi
The custom of hadaka-oshi at Urasa Bishamondo
The 2026 edition of The custom of hadaka-oshi at Urasa Bishamondo has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/03/06 〜 2026/03/07Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year in March. The Grand Festival is held on the first Saturday of March. / Every year
- Location
- Fukoji Temple and Bishamondo
- Area
- Niigata Prefecture・Minamiuonuma City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 40 min–2 h 10 min · bullet train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Features
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Open to public participation / spectators welcome
- Participation fee
- Free
- Required number of participants
- Groups of 4
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This traditional event at the Bishamondo hall of Fukoji Temple in Urasa, Minamiuonuma City, features the distribution of lucky items, water purification, and hadaka-oshi. Local organizers and the youth group run the event, which is held to pray for good health and a bountiful harvest.
About The custom of hadaka-oshi at Urasa Bishamondo
The custom of hadaka-oshi at Urasa Bishamondo is an annual event passed down at the Bishamondo hall of Fukoji Temple in Urasa, Minamiuonuma City.
Bare-chested men push their way toward the to pay their respects to Bishamonten, while lucky items such as rice cakes and wooden plaques are scattered.
The festival is prepared and run by local organizers, representatives of parishioners, and the Urasa Tamon Youth Group.
As an event to pray for good health and a bountiful harvest at the beginning of the year or in early spring, it is closely tied to local beliefs.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
Festival highlights
最大の見どころは、はんたこやさらし姿の参加者が「さんよー、さんよ！」の掛け声とともに堂内で押し合う場面です。
During the pushing, wooden plaques bearing the names of lucky items and rice cakes are scattered, and participants reach out to catch them.
The lighting of large candles, water purification, and sasara-suri performed around the man born in the current zodiac year are also distinctive features.
Toward the end of the event, the man born in the current zodiac year is tossed into the air.
Source: 【南魚沼・湯沢の魅力】浦佐毘沙門堂裸押合大祭 - 新潟県ホームページ
The prayers and fervor of Urasa, carried on through water purification and hadaka-oshi
What to expect
The day of the Grand Festival begins with daytime events such as goma rituals, a children’s procession, and the scattering of lucky rice cakes. Water purification and hadaka-oshi take place from evening onward.
Participants perform water purification, visit Bishamondo, put on hantako and sarashi, and join the pushing.
After offerings of lucky items and their distribution, the program continues with a procession of men born in the current zodiac year, sasara-suri, and a celebratory tossing into the air.
The eve-of-festival program also includes a large-candle lighting ceremony and water purification by the youth group.
How to take part
General participants can take part in the general water purification ritual and the Hadaka Oshiai.
Participants in the water purification ritual change into hantako or fundoshi loincloths, head from the meeting point to the grounds of Fukoji Temple, and join the pushing inside the hall after the ritual.
The festival committee also provides changing areas for general participants.
Even if you are only visiting to watch, be aware that the hall and can become crowded.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Fukoji Temple (2495 Urasa, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture).
- Train and bus
It is a 5-minute walk from Urasa Station on the JR Joetsu Line.
If you come by car, use the Yamato Government Office parking lot and take the shuttle bus.
- By car
It is about 15 minutes via National Route 17 from either the Koide IC or Muikamachi IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway.
- Parking
800 standard cars and 20 large vehicles.
As parking is limited, visitors are advised to carpool.
Source: 押合い大祭における交通規制及び駐車場について | 越後浦佐 普光寺
Address 2495 Urasa, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 Event Information (The dates listed have passed)
In 2026, the eve-of-festival event was listed for March 6 (Friday), and the Grand Festival for March 7 (Saturday).
The eve-of-festival program was scheduled to include a large-candle lighting ceremony and water purification by the youth group. On the day of the Grand Festival, events were scheduled to include a goma prayer service, a children’s procession, the distribution of lucky rice cakes, water purification, hadaka-oshi, and sasara-suri.
The daytime events for the Grand Festival are listed as running from 8:30 a.m., and the evening events from 5 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Niigata Prefecture / Minamiuonuma City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
Participants are closely packed during the hadaka-oshi inside the hall, so please follow the route of the pushing and the instructions around the temple grounds when watching.
The scramble for lucky items such as rice cakes and wooden plaques can become intense.
If you come by car, parking is limited, and carpooling and shuttle buses are recommended.
If you are taking part in the water purification or pushing as a general participant, use the designated changing area and follow the organizers’ instructions.
Nearby attractions
Nearby places of interest include Bishamondo (Kisshozan Fukoji Temple), the ruins of Urasa Castle, and the Ikeda Memorial Museum.
Both are facilities or historical sites featured in Minamiuonuma City tourism information.
To experience the local culture of Urasa, which is closely connected with the festival, you can also visit Bishamondo and Fukoji Temple, which are themselves part of the venue.
Origins and History of The custom of hadaka-oshi at Urasa Bishamondo
This event is recorded in “Hokuetsu Seppu” as “Urasa no Do-oshi,” and it is said that men and women pushed together at Bishamondo in the early modern period.
It is said to have been held on the 3rd day of the New Year until Meiji 5 (1872), and to have moved to March 3 from the following year.
Today, it is run by local organizers selected from the Urasa district, representatives of parishioners, and the Urasa Tamon Youth Group.
It was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2018.
Official information
Official information is provided by Fukoji Temple in Echigo Urasa.
Information is available on the 2026 event schedule, shuttle buses, traffic restrictions, and parking.
Information about the festival’s cultural property designation can also be found in the Nationally Designated Cultural Properties Database and Minamiuonuma City’s cultural information.
Source: 新着情報 | 越後浦佐 普光寺
The custom of hadaka-oshi at Urasa Bishamondo at a Glance
The custom of hadaka-oshi at Urasa Bishamondo is a traditional event at the Bishamondo hall of Fukoji Temple, where people pray to Bishamonten for good health and a bountiful harvest.
The event features a variety of scenes in which religious faith and local organization come together, including water purification, hadaka-oshi, the distribution of lucky items, large candles, and sasara-suri.
In 2026, the eve-of-festival event was listed for March 6 and the Grand Festival for March 7. The venue can be reached on foot from Urasa Station.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
Submit information or a correction Submit photos of this festival
