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Blake, Wm. The First Book of Urizen, object 3. 1794.

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Japan’s Somin-sai festival, known as the “naked man festival,” was held for the last time this month due to the country’s aging population crisis.

In an online post, organizers of the festival, which has happened for over 1,000 years, admitted they had been unable to find enough willing young participants. “This decision is due to the aging of individuals involved in the festival and a shortage of successors,” wrote the chief priest of the Kokusekiji Temple.

This comes as Japan’s births fell for an eighth straight year in 2023, hitting a record low of 758,631, a 5.1% decrease from 2022.

The event featured men in loincloths wrestling in near-freezing temperatures for a talisman, symbolizing a celebration of prosperity, good health, and fertility. It was one of three major “naked man” or Hadaka Matsuri festivals held in the country, which took place annually on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.