Undercarriage

Much ado has been made of the supportiveness of fundoshi -- the way the twisted cloth cradles the male apparatus -- but can it stand up to the everyday jock strap? The simple answer is yes! During the 1975 Boston Marathon, members of the taiko group Za Ondekoza jumped onstage immediately after finishing the 26.2 mile footrace and delivered gruelingly physical drum solos, their bodies already running with sweat rivulets -- and the common thread was fundoshi!

Truly, no other garment uses the stability of the hipbones, the simplicity of the knot, and the supportive properties of the fabric in conjunction to keep the penis and scrotum safely caught up and steadily supported. The winter Naked Festivals throughout Japan are also physically taxing, and thousands of men of all ages entrust their masculinity to nothing but fundoshi.

Let's see the fundoshi in its supporting role, slung under the crotches and perineums of men of action -- in action, or in repose:

(lots of photographs, following the jump!)