The Japan Times Online Kenka Matsuri: death and hairy butts

By AMY CHAVEZ

Butts! Hairy butts! That's all I could think of among the chaos of men in loincloths rushing around Shirahama in Himeji last weekend. I was there for the Kenka Matsuri, or Fighting Festival, at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine. The official name is the Nada Fighting Festival, perhaps because that is what the participants are wearing -- nada! With such flesh on display, one can't help but be impressed with the variety of Japanese butts: hairy butts, pimpled butts, dimpled butts, square butts and bony butts. It's all part of the Japanese festival atmosphere.