The Japanese Festival of Penises

Do you think I’d be lying if I told you that Japan has a festival that prominently features public displays of…penis sculptures?!

Actually, it is a lie–Japan has not one, but many penis festivals. However, there is one that really rises above all the rest: Kanamara Matsuri. This is an event that truly rises to the occasion. 

Every year in April, the Kanayama Shrine comes alive with tens of thousands of people who come to watch a phallus parade, purchase penis-themed foods and merchandise, and even carve and eat penises from daikon radishes. But how the heck did this unorthodox tradition get started?!

Above: Phallic sweet treats at Kanamara Matsuri. Image by Interesly. Taken from https://www.interesly.com/march-15-honen-matsuri/

Back in the day, the area around the shrine was a lodging area on a main road connecting two cities. Sex workers from nearby tea houses and inns in that area began visiting Kanayama Shrine to pray to the resident god and goddess for protection against and healing from sexually transmitted diseases. 

The local god and goddess, Kanayamahiko and Kanayamahime, were the god and goddess of mining and blacksmiths, so naturally, they would be the go-to folks for prayers about anything related to sex. 

Wait. What?!

Bear with me – it actually makes more sense than it seems to at first glance. There are a couple of rather colorful folktales that explain the connection.

As the first story goes, the deities mentioned above healed the Shinto goddess Izanami after an ordeal that was rather painful for her genitalia: She gave birth to a fire god. 

Another old tale is even more jaw-dropping. It is said that there was once a demon who fell in love with a woman. His timing was very poor, because she was a newlywed, wrapped up in the glow of freshly-married bliss. So, the demon hid in the woman’s vagina…and bit off her new husband’s penis! 

In fact, the demon did this not once, but twice! I’m not sure how the husband’s penis managed to re-grow so that the demon could eat it a second time, but someone in this story deserves a Nobel Prize in regenerative medicine. 

Anyways, this poor, distraught, sexually-frustrated woman sought the help of a blacksmith, who crafted her a sturdy shaft of steel. The demon broke his teeth on this rock-hard phallus, and that was the end of him. The infamous metallic member was then enshrined in Kanayama Shrine.

Over the years, these folktales have drawn countless visitors to the shrine, seeking blessings for safe childbirth and protection from STDs. In the past, those praying for healing from STDs would visit only at night, hoping to avoid shame. 

The Kanamara Matsuri festival was created after people started visiting the shrine to pray for fertility, as well as as part of a broader initiative to raise awareness of sexual health, combat STDs, and offer a welcoming, stigma-free space where anyone could seek protection and healing in broad daylight, without fear or judgment. 

Above: A festivalgoer really getting into the spirit of the day. Image by Tokyo Times. Taken from https://www.tokyotimes.org/japanese-fertility-festival-costumes-and-conversations/.

At first, it was just a local festival – but when HIV and AIDS became a problem in the subsequent decades, the festival began to attract attention and become popular with people outside the local area. 

The festival’s origin story may also include an adaptation of an old festival called Jibeta Matsuri, or the ‘ground festival’. 

This holiday was celebrated in April as well, when bamboo shoots began to spring up from the ground in the spring. 

People would sit on the ground and feast together in bamboo groves in hopes of absorbing some of the life force energy from the young bamboo shoots. 

Whatever its origin, the main event of today’s version of the festival is the penis parade that marches through the area every year. The procession includes three phallic sculptures carried within portable shrines called Mikoshi.

Standing up to be first in line is the Kanamara Funamikoshi, a portable shrine that carries a big black phallus forged from iron. 

Next comes the Elizabeth Mikoshi, the shrine carrying a way-larger-than life pink plastic dildo. It was donated by a famous drag club in Tokyo, and there’s a rule that whomever carries it must dress up as the opposite gender. 

Last comes the Kanamara Omikoshi, which is a shrine that houses a wooden phallus. This one is the oldest of the bunch.

Above: The Elizabeth and the Kanamara Omikoshi. Image by Guilhem Vellut. Taken from https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/04/03/kanamara-matsuri-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-japans-penis-festival.

Meanwhile, in the exhibition space in the shrine itself, partygoers can browse a collection of books, images, and objects related to various traditions of sexuality and festivals in other parts of the world that honor deities associated with sexuality.

Why, though, is this festival called ‘Kanamara Matsuri’ when the shrine is named ‘Kanayama’? Because of a good old-fashioned penis-related pun, of course. 

Mara literally means ‘an obstacle to Buddhist practice’, and has become slang for male genitalia in Japanese. ‘Yama’ has been cleverly swapped for ‘Mara’ so that the name of the festival more closely matches its orientation. 

The festival has swelled in popularity, especially with international visitors. It has become a day to pray for fertility, strong marital relationships, and even success in business. 

It has also come to be embraced by the LGBTQ+ community due to its association with healing and protection from STDs such as HIV that used to be a big threat for this community. And nowadays, profits from the event go to HIV research.

Japan is known to have no shortage of unique traditions, but Kanamara Matsuri stands out as one that is equal parts good-humored fun, social advocacy, and deeply-rooted tradition. 

Should you ever find yourself in Japan in April, don’t be shy–step up and let this experience blow you away. Whether you go for the folklore, the vibes, or just the bragging rights to say you’ve been to a parade of giant penises, this one will be a story for the record books.

Penis Festival Email:

Email subject: The Japanese Parade of…Penises?! 🍆

Yes, you read the subject line right, but are you really surprised? 

Japan is famous for its quirky customs, but festival of Kanamara Matsuri truly rises above all the rest. 

Surely You’ve seen parades, festivals, and maybe even participated in a few off-beat celebrations yourself.

But, have you ever witnessed a procession of giant penises?

Above: Festivalgoers carrying the Elizabeth, a giant pink plastic phallus donated by a famous Tokyo drag club. Image by AFP/Getty Images. Taken from https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2023/apr/03/a-phallic-mikoshi-and-basquiat-x-warhol-mondays-best-photos 

In Japan, there’s a festival that celebrates fertility and sexual health, and the Japanese are not shy about displaying phalluses everywhere during this festival. 

You can carve a radish into the shape of a penis.

You can buy phallic candles and candies, colorfully-decorated hand towels, and other items that pay homage to the festival’s great masterpieces–or should I say, misterpieces. 

As fun and silly as it sounds, Kanamara Matsuri actually has deep cultural roots.

It came about in part as a way to banish the stigma surrounding sexually transmitted diseases. 

Want to know more about how this quirky tradition is celebrated and how it came to be? Check out the full article, where we dive into the folklore, history, and ‘members’ of this unique festival.