Naked Festival - Tamotsu Yatō

YATŌ, Tamotsu.
[Naked Festival].
First edition. Small folio. 76pp. Cloth in slipcase. Full-bleed b&w photographs throughout. Japanese text. Tokyo: Fine Art House,1969. 

A dynamic photo essay on the traditional ‘Hadaka Matsuri’ or ‘Naked Man Festival’ in Japan from the pioneer of homoerotic photography Tamotsu Yatō.
Yatō attended many of these festivals across Japan to document the rituals attended by thousands of men wearing the traditional loincloth and competing for sacred shingi sticks that are released into the crowds, thought to be a symbol of good fortune.

Yatō’s attention to sequencing assesses the male body in movement, captures details of facial expressions and reveals beautiful examples of tattooing. A truly incredible example of crowd photography. The book is introduced by Yatō’s lifelong friend and collaborator Yukio Mishima.