The Penis Festival: Its History and Legends
The Penis Festival, as weird as it sounds, is an annual sacred Japanese festival held in Kanayama Shrine in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is celebrated on the first Sunday of April (so this year, it was on April 2). While the festival itself is strange, the purpose is quite good - to pray for fertility, easy childbirth and protection from sexually transmitted infections. Not only that, but the profit raised from the festival is also contributed to HIV research.
So what is the backstory (or legend) of this festival?
In the ancient time, Kanayama Shrine (with Kanayamahiko and Kanayamahime as the gods) was the place where the sex worker in the local tea house prayed for protection of sexually transmitted infections. While they are the gods of blacksmithing and metal work, they are also believed to be the ones who heal a Shinto goddess after her childbirth.
As for the legend of the penis festival, there was a demon who fell in love with a married woman. Because of his jealousy, he went inside the woman’s vagina and bit her first and second husbands’ penises. Finally, a blacksmith who became her third husband found a solution by creating a metal penis for her. (Now that I think about it, it sounds so unhealthy. Why would anyone put a metal thing inside their vagina?!) Thanks to his intelligence, the demon’s teeth was damaged and he had to go outside to receive a treatment from his orthodontist.
So yeah, those were fascinating stories for a fascinating festival.
For your information, the Penis Festival is not only held in this place, but it is also held in other place in different time. For example, with another name (Honensai) the festival is held in Tagata Shrine in Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture (March 15 every year).
I am going to post my own experience in the Penis Festival 2023 in the next article.
References:
For Kanamara Festival:
Kanamara P*nis Festival Exposed ★ ONLY in JAPAN
Kanamara “Penis” Festival 2024
16 Jaw-Dropping Pictures From Inside Japan's Penis Festival
For Honensai:
