Phallus Festival
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This is really cool, thanks for posting. But fair is fair, why do the celebrated / worshipped effigies not equally include the counterpart anatomy of the female player in the folklore? I would be intrigued to see what the demon might have looked like, preferably in representative setting…
This is a cock sucker. Any restaurant employee who has waited on a drunken bachelorette party knows this. One rarely get a chance to say cock sucker on Medium so I jumped right on it. 🍆
This sounds awesome! I am so happy that Shinto is continuing to be an important part of the lives of Japanese people. This festival is especially wonderful to me, based on what I have to say, below.
For years I have maintained that I have discovered empirical, physical proof in the existence of a Divine Being that loves us…
If you look closely, those aren't just penis suckers. There are vulva suckers there too!
I am both mortified and amazed at this.. wow!
yes this happens in Japan, Its has historic story behind the festival, I live in japan for 2 years and then I witnessed this festival, it was huge gathering with penis statues and dresses, Basically I lived in Ebie at following zip code.
I should definitely join this festival.
2012, there was a sharp erection in the popularity of the Steel Phallus festival
Seriously, though, fascinating story. Thanks so much, Ben!
Penis sausages, penis candies, penis costumes, and penis parades — all things one would probably come across when attending Japan’s Kanamara Matsuri festival. When literally translated, the Japanese phrase approximates to “Steel Phallus Festival” in English, and it’s just as exciting as it sounds.
During the first Sunday of April, the streets of Kawasaki, Japan, are filled with penis praising activities for bringing honor to the Shinto spirits venerated at the Kanayama Shrine. The penis festival was formalized only in 1969 but had its roots in Japanese folklore and ancient beliefs.
Japanese folklore tells of a story of a demon that took residence inside the vagina of a young woman. The demon was motivated by love, obsessed with not letting other men experience carnal knowledge of her. Its jealousy was so strong that young men had their penises ripped off when they tried to have sex with the woman on two occasions.
To combat the obsessive demon, the woman sought the aid of a known blacksmith. He made the woman a blessed iron phallus to break the demon’s teeth, allowing her to be rid of it forever. The ploy worked, and to give thanks to the spirits that blessed it, the phallus is now forever enshrined at Kawasaki’s Kanayama Shrine.
Unlike more conservative religions, Shintoism is more open to sex and sensual symbols. The legend behind Kanayam Shrine made the temple a place where people could pray for fertility and a more fulfilling married life. By the 17th to the 19th century, sex workers from brothels all over Japan made their way to the site to pray for protection or healing from sexually transmitted diseases.
There is evidence of similar sex-oriented festivals in the area, but most were discontinued by the end of the 19th century. A century later, the practice was resurrected by local politicians, although at a much smaller scale than it is today.
In 2012, there was a sharp erection in the popularity of the Steel Phallus festival. Matsuko Deluxe, a big Japanese TV personality who was a big advocate for LGBTQ rights, endorsed the event that year, and since then, the festival has had over 50,000 attendees in every celebration that followed.
The Kanamara Matsuri focuses its festivities around the procession of three moveable shrines.
The first shrine is called the “Kanamara Mikoshi,” and it is the oldest among the three. It houses a wooden phallus within a square base and a roof.
Amongst the stalls, the crowd, and tourists, one would also find the “Kanamara Boat Mikoshi.” This portable shrine hosts a black glowing iron phallus within a shrine shaped like a ship.
The most prominent of the three floats is the “Elizabeth Mikoshi.” This shrine houses a giant pink penis donated by Kawasaki’s own cross-dressing club. During the festival itself, this huge pink phallus was carried exclusively by proud members of the drag club. Now, even non-members can carry the iconic shrine, although cross-dressing when doing so is still a requirement.
I think it’s pretty cool how old folklore has transformed into this unique experience. What’s amazing is that the community doesn’t just leave it up to the spirits to find cures against STDs. Proceeds from the festival are regularly donated to organizations that try to find treatments for HIV.
If you get the chance, you should definitely come by.
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I want to introduce one of the weirdest festivals in modern Japan: The Kanamara Matsuri (aka “The Phallus Festival”).
Warning: Some of the following photos contain nudity to a certain degree and also show “phallus items“. If you feel easily offended by this, don’t read on!
The Kanamara Matsuri (かなまら祭り) also known as “Festival of the Steel Phallus” is a traditional Shinto festival.
In recent days it has become a very popular festival in Japan – especially among foreign tourists:
It is very crowded and locals told me that every year more and more people come.
If you don’t like crowds or places in Japan with more foreign people than Japanese, then DON’T GO THERE!
I usually hate “popular” things like that where everybody and their friends are, but I wanted to experience this festival at least once.
It is held on the first Sunday in April (*however in 2011 they cancelled the festivities due to the Great Tohoku Earthquake).
The Kanamara Matsuri is held at the Kanayama Shrine (金山神社) in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture (map). The location can be easily accessed by train from Yokohama (~ 22 mins) or Tokyo (~33 mins). Get off at “Kawasaki-Daishi Station“.
The festival dates back to the Edo period (1603-1867). There is a famous legend among locals that explains the origins of the “Kanamara Matsuri”:
Once there was a sharp-toothed demon who fell in love with a beautiful young woman. She wasn’t interested in the demon and when she decided to marry another man, the demon became very jealous. He inhabited her vagina the night before the wedding. That way the demon bit off the penis of two of her husbands.
Everybody in the village was upset and so finally a blacksmith forged a steel phallus. With that they tricked the demon. His teeth were broken and he left the girl’s vagina.
This eventually led to the enshrinement of the iron phallus and the Kanamara Matsuri.
From then on prostitues would pray for protection against sexually transmitted diseases.
In recent days a lot of married couples visit when they want to start a family. It’s also frequented by transvestites and gays / lesbians.
The festival has changed a lot. It’s a huge and crazy event that combines Shinto traditions with modern elements.
In the past few years the festival also became known in foreign countries and so more and more foreigners visit every year. The money earned from all the goods they sell is used to help AIDS research.
The festival will start around 11 a.m., but it might be a good idea to arrive a bit earlier than that as it easily gets crowded later on. It then will continue until the late afternoon. You can find more details about the upcoming festival here.
A lot of the ema and lucky charms of the shrine are phallus-themed as well.
You can purchase a huge variety of “phallus items” on the shrine grounds. As mentioned earlier the money earned will go into HIV research funds.
Another attraction are penis (o-chinko) and vagina (o-manko) boiled candy popsicles. They sell out rather quickly, so if you want to grab some, you should arrive early!
And when I say they have all sorts of items you can imagine (and can’t imagine!) I MEAN it! *g*
Not only the items were interesting, but also the people selling them. Can you see the man in the background, wearing a “penis nose”?
This woman with a hilarious penis thingie was advertising her stand where you can buy “Penis Energy Balls“.
In fact, they were just selling normal “takoyaki” (たこ焼き).
Carved products, keychains and even drinking straws could be purchased!
Even more hilarious than the items were the people who attended the festival.
This man got all the attention. He ran around almost completely naked!
Of course, foreigners were the first who approached him to take photos. I was a bit intimidated and just took two quick shots while passing by.
A lot of weird fellows! I’m quite sure that it was a man who was hiding inside this hentai / anime costume.
*LOL* I have no idea where this dog(?) came from. So many weirdos, but that’s what makes the festival interesting. And there were a LOT of Japanese children around – in case you were wondering!
There are 3 types of mikoshi (portable shrines) that are carried throughout the local streets during the festival.
Above you see one of them: The Kanamara Fune Mikoshi (かなまら舟神輿, fune = ship).
Another one is “The Big Kanamara Mikoshi” (かなまら大神輿). It’s not pictured, but looks similar to the one above.
One of the highlights of the festival is the third mikoshi, a huge pink penis called “Elizabeth Mikoshi” (エリザベス神輿). It represents the legendary “steel phallus” who helped the young woman to get rid of the demon. The original “steel phallus” is located in the “Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine” (若宮八幡宮) which is one of the very few remaining fertility shrines.
The pink penis is so popular that even Pikachu was following it!!! (O__O”) [/random]
Carrying around the three mikoshi was part of a huge parade through the streets near the Kanayama Shrine and the Kawasaki-Daishi Station.
Almost every parade in Japan has “flag wavers“. The flags of the Kanamara Matsuri were especially colorful. Some of them had Momotaro (aka “Peach Boy”, 桃太郎) on them.
You might want to check out nearby sights (just a few mins of walk) while you’re there such as the Kawasaki Daishi Heikenji Temple or the Chinese Garden Shinshu-en.
1st Sunday in April (11:00 until roughly 16:30)
The festival can be attended for free.
A short walk from Kawasaki-Daishi Sta.
Please note: Prices as well as opening hours / holidays are subject to change. Please make sure to follow the provided link to the official website to check out the latest updates.
Sehe ich das richtig, dass das Festival dann zwischen Tokyo und Yokohama stattfindet? Das wäre für mich ja perfekt! Quasi um die Ecke. Das werde ich mir nicht entgehen lassen. =D
Ja, das siehst du richtig! :)
Dann wünsche ich viel Spaß, den du sicher haben wirst!
First impression: OH MY GOD! :huh:
This is one thing which I would say is typical Japan – probably would go there someday :shiawase:
You consider it typical Japanese? That’s very interesting.
What makes it so special for me is that it’s anything, but a typical festival! :D
I hope you’ll get a chance to experience it some day.
What a strange festival! I’m surprised children were allowed to even be there lol.
Well, the original idea behind it is nothing you have to protect your kids from, I guess.
I’m not sure what to think about it now that it has turned into “this spectacle”. *g*
The kids all looked like they had a lot of fun. I’m sure most of them didn’t really understand what was going on anyways.
I’ve been to a fertility shrine somewhere near Nagoya once, but that festival is something else. I’m actually speechless! :ehno:
There are only very few fertility shrines left in Japan. I remember running into a few of them, but can’t remember where they were.
I will when I go through the photos I took there.
Speechless in a negative way?
There is one in Kyoto ( even one of the temple in kyomizudera is dedicated to fertility) ^_^
I remember seeing that one! ;)
There are some in Shikoku as well and I’ll introduce a few more soon! :D
I didn’t know about the Phallus Festival :) Such a fun thing to go to. Thanks for sharing! Love your photos. Thanks for mentioning the man wearing a “penis nose”, I din’t see him :) Fun Fun Fun!
It’s definitely a very unique and interesting experience, so if you happen to come to Japan in April, make sure to check it out – as it’s not far away from Tokyo!
Glad you like the photos. Thanks! :)
So interesting! Bet alot of families attending as well!
Yes, there were a lot of families!
All the locals celebrate the festival, young and old! ^_^
[…] What can you expect during the festival? Well, you can expect a whole lot of dong; there are penis statues everywhere! There are also penis shaped foods and candies, and, of course, the penis parade where a giant pink penis is carted around for all to see and celebrate. For a personal account (and some pretty amazing photographs), check out Zooming Japan. […]
Love the giant dog costume. Especially considering it’s mine.
So that was you in the dog costume?
Great write-up. I remember finding a solitary temple on a hillside south of Tokyo, and inside was a giant wooden phallus. Like, surprise!
It’s funny how a few years in Japan will desensitize you to things like this though, don’t you think? It’s a progression from Oh-my-God! to ==> Well-that-was-unexpected to ==> Oh-that?-that’s-just-Japan.
There are only very few temples like that, so you were lucky?! ;)
I agree. When I first heard about this festival – and also saw a few photos – long before I even moved to Japan, I giggled and was like: “OMG! Seriously?”
But it really has changed to a typical Japanese “heeee~” reaction now. *g*
this festivall
very good
its mydream my vish :ehehe:
i live in iran
the very big goantanamo :notamused:
tanks :heart:
It’s your dream to see this festival? ;)
I hope you can visit it in the future! ^____^
since when exactly is that festival? …just curious …
I lived in Japan …. but it was like 20 years ago…. and I cant remember that….
otherwise..been to a few other festival back then :)
As I’ve written in this blog post, this festival dates back to the Edo period (1603-1867).
Maybe you just missed the festival when you lived in Japan? I know a lot of people who live nearby and have never even heard of it, even Japanese people! ;)
Umm….whoah!…I know fertility is important but..parading a massive phallus and selling all those phallus objects in the open is amazing and shocking to me. I wonder if simply the display alone actually encourages alot of desire and fertility in itself. I wonder how I would feel if I was there during the festival and with so many women present. Wow. Thanks for the story and pics.
There are families with their children attending the festival. The participating miko are also children.
Fertility is seen as something natural and not obscene although the festival has changed a lot in recent years.
I understand that the pink phallus and some of the items they sell seem very strange and surprising. :)
Yes its about fertility…life…and the rewards of having children and a family. But it’s also making me feel well….very..fertile too. Fascinating. Thanks! arigato.
Too bad I’ll be gone when the right time comes, but this sounds like my type of Matsuri haha
The good thing is that it’s every year, so you might be able to attend it in the future.
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This Japan blog is run by Jasmine T. Blossom - a German who's been living in Japan for over 7 years.
She has travelled to all 47 Japanese prefectures and over 100 Japanese castles, experienced natural disasters, cultural oddities and work life in Japan.
She loves exploring things off the beaten path, so you'll find a lot of great travel inspiration here. In this blog Jasmine offers a close-up view of all the good and bad that comes with living and traveling in Japan.
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