Kanamara Matsuri:
Phallus festival in Kawasaki
April
3
|
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 (~ 22min.) or Tokyo (~33min.). 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.
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.
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.
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 11am, 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. There’s also a detailed schedule for reference,
but only in Japanese.
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.
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.
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