Kokusekiji is one of Tohoku's oldest temples, said to have been founded in 729 by Gyoki as a Tendai temple. Its Sominsai, held on the night of the lunar new year's seventh day, is one of Japan's three great eccentric festivals and a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, featuring nearly naked men contesting for the lucky Somin sack.

Kokusekiji Temple is said to have been founded in 729 by the eminent Buddhist monk Gyoki during the Nara period, making it one of the oldest Tendai temples in the Tohoku region. During the Heian period, it is believed to have received devoted patronage from the Oshu Fujiwara clan, which contributed …