Doya Doya (Shitennōji)

四天王寺どやどや(修正会結願)

A rite at Shitennōji in Tennōji Ward, Osaka, on 14 January, the closing day of the New Year service that runs from 1 January. Male high-school students in loincloths, split into red and white teams, crowd into the Rokuji-dō hall and scramble for the goō hōin, protective talismans scattered from the ceiling, competing on how many each side catches. It is Osaka’s midwinter naked festival, with water thrown over the students. 14 January every year.

14 January 2027

RegularWorked out from the organiser’s fixed schedule.

72 days away

Every year, 14 January

Future dates: 14 January 2027 · 14 January 2028 · 14 January 2029

Origin

The shushō-e means “correcting faults and cultivating what is right”, and was originally a service praying for peace in the land and good harvests in the year ahead. At Shitennōji a special New Year prayer service is held in the Rokuji-dō every day from 1 to 14 January, and on the last day, the 14th, the Doya Doya takes place. The name is said to come from the crowds that came “doya doya”, thronging into the hall to receive the goō hōin talisman. In the past worshippers, or teams of farmers and fishermen, took part and fought for victory; in recent years participation has been limited to students of designated high schools.

What to look for

Students in loincloths and headbands march into the Rokuji-dō with a great shout and scramble for the talismans scattered from the ceiling. Split into red and white, they compete on how many goō hōin talismans each side catches, and the winners proclaim their victory. In the midwinter grounds water is thrown over them, and steam rises from their bodies. In recent years about six hundred boys from Seifū and Seifū Nankai high schools have taken part (2017–2020).

How to watch

The Doya Doya belongs to the closing service of the New Year rite: after the service inside the hall, it is held in front of it. Toothpick-shaped goō hōin charms blessed in the service and prayer tablets of the New Year rite are offered to worshippers afterwards (at the amulet office in 2026). Only students of the designated schools take part in the scramble; ordinary visitors watch.

If you go

The Doya Doya is held on 14 January at the Rokuji-dō of Shitennōji. On the same day, in front of the Niō-mon gate, the tondo-yaki bonfire burns New Year decorations and old talismans (from 9 a.m. to about 1 p.m. in 2026, free of charge). Shitennōji is a five-minute walk south of Shitennōji-mae Yūhigaoka Station on the Tanimachi subway line, or twelve minutes north of Tennōji Station.

Where

Shitennōji (Rokuji-dō)

Osaka

Open in maps

Sources

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