© MainichiPortable shrine-carriers battle in the ocean during the "Shiofumi" event of the "Ohara Hadaka Matsuri," three hours before the lightning strike in Isumi.
The lightning strike occurred at around 6 p.m. at Ohara Elementary School during the "Ohara Hadaka Matsuri" (Ohara naked man festival), hitting 32 males and two females carrying portable shrines. A 65-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy were seriously injured.
The festival's executive committee told a news conference that the event's 18 portable shrines had been gathered onto the school grounds, and just as the festival was about to finish its climactic farewell ceremony, lightning directly struck two portable shrines that had been raised high into the air.
The injured were moved to the school's gymnasium and those requiring medical attention were sent to a hospital.
"It all happened in an instant, and I didn't know what was going on at first. My vision was flashing red and blue, and I didn't feel any pain, but when I gathered my senses I noticed my legs were twitching. About 20 people were lying on the ground around me," recollected a 16-year-old high school student who had been standing next to one of the shrines.
"At the time of the lightning strike, there was a huge rumbling sound, and I rushed outside," said a 60-year-old woman who lives behind the school grounds. "I didn't hear any thunder beforehand. It just came suddenly."
According to the Choshi Local Meteorological Observatory, a stationary weather front in the prefecture caused atmospheric instability on Sept. 23. The observatory says warnings for lightning and strong winds were issued in Isumi in the early morning, and warnings for heavy rains and flooding were issued in the afternoon.
"We have always carried out the festival regardless of any strong rain or winds," said Naoyuki Kameda, head of the festival's executive committee. "We never thought something like this would happen."
The Ohara Hadaka Matsuri is a traditional local event that has continued since the Edo Period. Participants pray for a bountiful harvest and catch of fish. The city's website says that the event is held every year on Sept. 23 and 24, and is best known for a battle called "Shiofumi" (tide stepping) where the participants carry the 18 portable shrines through the tide of the ocean and face off against each other while withstanding the waves. In the farewell ceremony, the shrines are taken to the grounds of Ohara Elementary School, where they are carried around and repeatedly hoisted high into the air, and the school is filled with spectators and portable shrine carriers.
The festival's planning committee cancelled events on Sept. 24 in the wake of the lighting strike.
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