The Naoi Shinji ritual of the traditional Japanese Konomiya Naked Festival took place on March 1 in Aichi Prefecture in central Japan. Shortly after 5 p.m., the festival’s central figure — the Shin-otoko, who is believed to bear the people’s misfortune — appeared along the shrine approach.

As he emerged, a swirling mass of nearly naked men formed, all struggling to touch him, and an intense jostling began.

With the festival falling on a Sunday this year, 10,000 men took part.

Then, at 6:10 p.m., when this year’s Shin-otoko, 26-year-old Kimura Yuki, entered the Naoi-den hall within the shrine grounds, a huge cheer erupted from the crowd of participants.